Delays Opening 72-Hour Meth Detention Facility Show NDP Being Dishonest with Manitobans
WINNIPEG — Premier Wab Kinew’s admission that the 72-hour meth detention site at 190 Disraeli will not be ready to open until December—at the earliest—shows that the NDP rammed through flawed legislation by being dishonest about the opening date, said Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza, PC Critic for Housing, Addictions and Homelessness, today.
“Wab Kinew and his NDP accused PCs of stalling and delaying their legislation, claiming that they were ‘ready’ to open the meth detox centre on November 1st,” said Bereza. “Turns out, it would never have been ready on November 1st. So, they delayed it until the end of the month. Now that they know they’re not going to make that deadline either, they’re pushing the opening to sometime in December. What happened to the NDP’s urgency?”
The City of Winnipeg’s Building and Inspections office confirms that an interim occupancy permit for partial use of the building at 190 Disraeli has been issued, but it only allows staff to use the building. It does not allow anyone to be detained at the facility. On the provincial government website that lists the regulations for the operation of the sites, 179 Doncaster St. is listed as the site of a Class-2, 24-hour detention facility—but the 179 Doncaster St. address does not exist.
“Where is this Class-2 facility being located?,” asked Bereza. “If they aren’t even being honest about the opening date, or the actual physical location of this site, what else are they being dishonest about?”
While reaffirming PCs’ support for 72-hour detention facilities for people suffering from meth psychosis, Bereza demanded more accountability from Wab Kinew and his NDP.
“They refused to sit later than midnight to listen to all of the speakers during the public hearing for Bill 48, then created a false sense of urgency to push flawed legislation through the legislature and accuse PCs of stalling and playing political games,” said Bereza. “The premier was even musing about calling a snap election over Bill 48.”
“Now suddenly, they are concerned with ‘getting it right’. If they were concerned about that, they would have made sure that they heard from every speaker at committee. And they would have been in favour of PCs’ amendments, which only asked for increased safety for vulnerable populations, a community safety and wellness plan, and accountability through an annual reporting process.
“Now we know the 72-hour detox centre was never going to be ready to open by November 1st, or the end of November, and maybe not even in December. How are Manitobans supposed to trust this government?”
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