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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Police Service Insp. Josh Ewatski, of the organized crime division, speaks during Wednesday\u2019s news conference announcing the huge drug bust.<\/p>\n
Police must go after drug traffickers, while people struggling with addictions must be offered supports to recover, Kinew said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarm reduction and compassion and recovery for people has to be a part of this, but folks on the progressive, the left side of the spectrum need to understand that\u2026 law enforcement is part of a public health approach to drugs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham also commended the police investigation and said city firefighters and paramedics are already \u201crun off their feet\u201d with the amount of toxic substances already on the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to hold people accountable who are pushing the drugs that are killing our community members \u2014 enough is enough,\u201d said the mayor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese people who are arrested and charged, I want to see the full force of the law thrown at them, because this is killing our community members, it\u2019s running our emergency services off their feet, and it\u2019s absolutely making a difference in businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jamil Mahmood, executive director of Main Street Project, said organizations that provide harm reduction services to people with addictions aren\u2019t opposed to police arresting drug traffickers.<\/p>\n
But, he said, major disruptions to the supply of drugs in the city tend to result in more dangerous substances being added to what\u2019s available for sale on the street, leading to more overdoses and more strain on those who respond to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe demand for drugs isn\u2019t going down just because the supply is removed,\u201d said Mahmood.<\/p>\n
In April, there was a spike in fatal drug overdoses in Winnipeg. Main Street Project said 10 people who used its services died of overdoses in the first two weeks of that month.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Premier Wab Kinew has vowed to crack down on drug trafficking. <\/p>\n He said front-line service providers need more resources to respond to the overdose crisis. \u201cIt\u2019s about people dying on our streets,\u201d said Mahmood.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t He said governments must work on creating a robust mental health and addictions response system, with the public health system involved, along with a long-term strategy to address addictions.<\/p>\n He emphasized that he\u2019s not looking to get into a fight with the premier or the mayor over the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to work with them, to develop these strategies for the community,\u201d said Mahmood.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s form a task force, let\u2019s form an action table, let\u2019s form something together and bring the great minds of Winnipeg together, to solve this problem in a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Erik Pindera Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.\u00a0 Read more about Erik<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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