Three pieces of correspondence sent to TGCTS form the basis of Episode 60, which opens with the story of Marty’s surprise meeting in a drug store with a former NDP cabinet minister.
You’ll then hear a letter sent to Premier Wab Kinew and Justice Minister Matt Wiebe by an aggrieved NDP supporter.
He had asked for help with an arbitrary punishment imposed by Manitoba Public Insurance on his driving record despite a court dismissing the ticket- and got no response from Kinew or Wiebe.
“This record has already resulted in my being denied employment. I am a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record who is simply trying to earn a living.”
14.35 Part 2- A follower of our independent reporting sent a note reflecting on the coverage we have provided this past year.
He touched on the federal election campaign, “the rise in unchecked anti-semitism in our city” and “the Province trying to push through a safe injection site that would be so destabilizing to the community it is established in.”
21.35 – Listen to an op-ed submitted to local media outlets by Portage La Prairie PC MLA Jeff Bereza, after he took part in all four of the public meetings held in December about a proposed Safe Consumption Site for 366 Henry Avenue in the North Logan neighbourhood.
Noting how the announcement of the new location was made after the Legislature had wrapped up the fall session- meaning there could be no debate about the SCS in the House, Bereza noted:
“Only one thing is abundantly clear following these four sessions: there is no plan.”
As the Critic of Homelessness, Housing, and Addictions , he itemized the unanswered questions from stakeholders, and the illogical claims from Minister Bernadette Smith and site proponents about staffing and policing for the drug user site. Bereza concluded that “The accusation that push-back and questions from neighbours and businesses is nothing more than nimby-ism is unfair and insulting.”
Marty adds his own observations and background to the segment.
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Here is the entire op-ed we received from Bereza:
Over the last week there have been four meetings in the Point Douglas Logan area of Winnipeg, where the NDP government has proposed a drug injection site. I have attended each of these meetings and listened to the concerns of the residents who live and work in the area.
Only one thing is abundantly clear following these four sessions: there is no plan.
The proposed site was announced on Friday, December 5 th , less than 24 hours after the close of the fall sitting of the Manitoba Legislature. This is significant for two reasons. As the critic for Manitoba Housing, Addictions and Homelessness it is my job to ask questions and hold the government accountable for its decisions, but the timing of the announcement meant it could not be debated in the chamber.
Second, the first of the four community meetings was already scheduled for the following week, meaning most of the neighbourhood residents were not aware of this meeting. It was left to community members to take it upon themselves to hand deliver over 600 flyers across the neighbourhood.
During each of these meetings, the vast majority of questions were not answered. This is not to say they were not answered to attendees’ satisfaction – they were not answered at all, or the response was “I don’t know”.
The following are just a sampling of the questions that were met with little more than a shrug of the shoulders:
On what date will the site be officially open?
How many people will work at the site?
How many people will be allowed to use the site at one time?
How many people will be allowed in line outside the site?
How long will a person be required to remain at the site after using drugs?
Those questions that did get a response did nothing to reassure those in attendance. For example, residents were repeatedly told there will be professionals – doctors, paramedics, nurses, and mental health workers staffing the site to provide information about treatment and rehabilitation options. Yet when asked how this would be possible with the current shortage in each of those categories, there was no response.
Also unclear is the question of safety and security for the people working at the site. The WPS has pledged an “immediate response” to deal with any criminal activity. We already have a shortage of police officers throughout Manitoba.
Surely an immediate response will require extra police staff – where will they come from?
If the government is already unable to keep doctors and nurses in the province’s hospitals safe and protected, how can people be expected to believe an immediate response to crime at a drug injection site is even remotely possible?
Again – no answer.
Also worrying is the lack of any plan for data collection. We were told it’s important to “build up trust” before any sort of record-keeping is implemented. This means there is a real danger that minors will be accessing the site. In addition, with no information around where site users are coming from, their ages, or any other statistics, the site’s success or lack thereof cannot be measured.
One question that was answered were the proposed hours the site will be open – from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
The notion of a drug injection site the government is stating will “save lives” not being open evenings and weekends is almost too absurd to comprehend.
The accusation that push-back and questions from neighbours and businesses is nothing more than nimby-ism is unfair and insulting. It is difficult to imagine a neighbourhood that would want a drug injection site to set up shop. The citizens and business owners of Point Douglas, some of whom have been in the neighbourhood for decades, deserve a say in their community. So far, every proposed site has been met with the same concerns and questions, and the provincial response has also been the same: according to Minister Smith, “We are mandated to open a drug injection site.”
The question remains: by whom? You can guess at the answer.
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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR LISTENERS AND SUPPORTERS!