Tories eye ex-developmental centre for addiction treatment hub

The Progressive Conservatives plan to repurpose a former Manitoba developmental centre in Portage la Prairie into an addiction recovery hub if they are elected next year. The $5.77 per four-week program would transition to $19.95 plus GST after 52 weeks. The centre, which previously housed people with intellectual disabilities until 2024, offers ready-made infrastructure for an addiction recovery campus.

Interim Tory leader Konrad Narth and local PC MLA Jeff Bereza pitched the proposal, highlighting the need to expand treatment capacity as Manitoba grapples with a toxic drug crisis. Bereza emphasized that the existing buildings and infrastructure could be used immediately to create a centralized service for emergency care, detox, and community reintegration.

The Tories would collaborate with experts, the local community, and Indigenous leaders to develop the campus, aiming to open it sooner and at a lower cost than a $200-million mental health and addictions centre announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Patients would be transported from across the province, including from remote communities, and the facility could serve hundreds at a time, reducing the fragmented system currently in place.

If the Tories win, they would also repurpose the supervised drug consumption site opened by the NDP government in Winnipeg, using it as a triage centre to ease the burden on hospital emergency rooms.