Earlier in March, the Progressive Conservatives raised concerns that an intake form for the new supervised consumption site could allow youth drug use, a claim the NDP dismisses as fearmongering. The Conservatives obtained the forms from Health Canada via an access-to-information request by the Point Douglas Residents Committee, which opposes the site. One form asks users about pregnancy, first-time use, or youth status, while another lists over a dozen drug types, including methamphetamines, benzodiazepines, and opioids.
“On this side of the House, we don’t believe that there’s any age in which you should consume drugs,” said PC Leader Obby Khan during question period. “There’s no such thing as a safe consumption site.”
Later, Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith told reporters that anyone aged or suspected to be under 16 years old will not be allowed to use drugs at the site and will be connected with other resources. Moreover, she added that staff members will make a judgment call if someone does not have identification to show their age. “This is about making sure that people have access to services,” she said. “We don’t want anybody doing drugs, but … we know that people are doing drugs, and when we hear the PCs fearmongering and talking about children doing drugs, we need to really ask the conservatives, should we be making sure that we are connecting people to services?”
Furthermore, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew emphasized that while he does not condone drug use at any age, people continue to use drugs, prompting expanded treatment and harm-reduction measures. The Henry Avenue consumption site will be staffed by trained personnel, with forms allowing group use or connections to health services, while liability concerns for peer-to-peer injections, or “doctoring,” have been raised by PCs.
Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine criticized the Conservatives for speaking about people with addictions “with disdain,” while Premier Kinew hopes the Winnipeg supervised consumption site will open soon despite local safety concerns. Studies and experiences from sites in Toronto, Lethbridge, and Edmonton suggest such sites do not increase crime, though some argue they may prolong addiction, and Alberta has introduced laws allowing involuntary treatment for those with substance issues.
A supervised consumption site in Lethbridge, Alberta, was closed in 2020 by the United Conservative Party and replaced with a smaller mobile overdose prevention unit, which now faces closure amid a sharp drop in fatal overdoses, from 109 per 100,000 in 2023 to fewer than 10 per 100,000 by mid-2025. In addition, Alberta passed a law allowing involuntary treatment for people with addictions, while reports suggest that supervised sites do not increase crime.
