The province’s first supervised consumption site is set for an official launch on Aug. 11, a provincial spokesperson has confirmed.
The 366 Henry Ave. site, which is being run by the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg, will have two days of training for staff members later this week, before opening for full operation in the parking lot in two weeks.
The building is still undergoing renovations, and operations will eventually be moved inside the former Western Fabrics building.
The supervised drug-consumption site location at 366 Henry Ave. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)
In the interim, mobile units will be set up in the parking lot, which has been fenced off for privacy reasons.
The Indigenous-led site does not supply people with drugs, but rather offers supervision to prevent overdoses, access to drug-testing services, and connect to treatment options and social supports.
The site is expected to operate Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
“The operational hours have been informed by best practice medical knowledge from other Canadian sites and guidance from community partners,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “This approach ensures that every Manitoban that comes to the supervised consumption site walks into a secure, controlled environment with the best harm reduction and connection to social and medical supports possible.”
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
The facility first opened in June for one training day, where staff from Sunshine House’s mobile overdose prevention site began training new employees.
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.