Engagement around supervised consumption site will be ongoing, Wellness Centre says following criticism

After criticism about consultation around the proposed location for a planned supervised drug consumption site in Winnipeg, the non-profit that will run the site says engagement will be an ongoing process — and the premier says the province could consider a different location if needed.

"We're coming, let's talk," said Monica Cyr, a senior director with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre who is overseeing the consumption site team.

The Manitoba government announced its plan to open a supervised drug consumption site, with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre steering its creation and development, in July, but did not disclose the planned location.

On Wednesday, the province confirmed it wants the site opened at 200 Disraeli Fwy., a building at the edge of south Point Douglas that's across the street from Argyle Alternative High School.

That proposed location has since faced criticism from some residents, businesses and other organizations in the area, including the Manitoba Métis Federation, whose office is located across Henry Avenue from the site. Many said they haven't yet been consulted on the proposal, or raised concerns about safety and whether the site will help address Manitoba's drug crisis.

Under the federal government's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the approval process for a supervised consumption site requires consultation with any stakeholders within 500 metres of the proposed location. It also requires a report on that engagement with the neighbourhood.

Cyr acknowledges that more transparency around the location "could have definitely dissipated some of the heightened energy," but said community engagement had to be done quickly in order to get the application for approval in.

The wellness centre took the lead from the provincial government when it came to rolling out the engagement plan around the site and its location, Cyr told CBC on Friday.

Priority consultations were done with the school and daycares in the neighbourhood, as well as many Point Douglas residents around the proposed site, along with harm reduction and addiction supports groups like Main Street Project, Ka Ni Kanichihk, the Salvation Army and the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, Cyr said.

"Does that mean community engagement ends there? Absolutely not," she said. "For us engagement is an ongoing dialogue.… There's not an end date."

As for safety in and around the site, Cyr said the centre is concerned for the well-being of everyone, and it's a concern the community and the non-profit will need to tackle collaboratively.

"It takes many of us to come together and think about how are we going to create safety for each other and for people, certainly, who are going to be using the space as well," she said.

Charlene Hallett, the health integration lead for the consumption site, agrees that safety is important for everyone inside and outside of the space, which will be fenced off for safety and the privacy of people accessing the site.

Hallett said she wants the people who use the space to feel comfortable.