As controversy surrounding the Mobile Overdose Prevention Site (MOPS) launched by Sunshine House has demonstrated, interplay among community need, effectiveness of interventions, public opinion and political ideology about Supervised Consumption Sites (SCS) is intense. Even as the toxic drug overdose crisis persists and worsens in the province, Manitoba is one of few provinces that lacks a evidence-based, peer- and community-led SCS program as part of a comprehensive harm reduction strategy. In fact, the province has recently introduced Bill 33 – the Addictions Services Act – which many in the harm reduction community recognize as a step backward that will threaten the ongoing success of the current Mobile Prevention Site and prevent any future Supervised Consumption Sites from opening. In this session, panelists examined the experience and evidence regarding SCSs in Manitoba, explored how collaboration among community, public health, academia, and government can contribute to policy change in the province.
Organized by the Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Public Health Association.