Manitoba lacks capacity for addictions treatment, auditor general says

Manitoba's auditor general says many people seeking addictions treatment in this province can't access the services they need — especially outside Winnipeg.

Capacity does not meet demand for addictions treatment in Manitoba, and people continue to experience long waits, Tyson Shtykalo says in a new report.

"Not getting timely access to these services impacts the health of those seeking treatment, and can even be a question of life and death," Shtykalo wrote in the report.

"These waits also have societal costs, such as increased use of emergency services. There is also a profound impact on the families and friends of those seeking treatment.

"Private treatment services can be cost prohibitive, and may not be the best option for many people. Given this, timely access to publicly provided addictions treatment services is critical."

The addictions unit at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre is the only medical detoxification facility in Manitoba, the report notes. It only has 11 beds.

The report also found long waits for non-medical addictions treatment in Winnipeg and Brandon, while no non-medical treatment at all was available in Thompson from March to November 2022.

At the same time, the capacity at RAAM clinics, which offer rapid access to addictions treatment, was insufficient. Over a 12-month period, six Manitoba RAAM clinics offered services to 1,342 people but had to turn another 1,218 away.

The delivery of addictions treatment is decentralized, records are still largely paper-based and data collection is poor, the report says.

There were 400 confirmed substance-related deaths in Manitoba in 2021, compared to 335 and 151 in the previous two years, it says.

The auditor general calls on the province to make changes, including setting targets for wait times and implementing standards for treatment services.

The audit covered a year-long period ending in June 2022. Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen says it coincides with the creation of a government department specifically for mental health and addictions services that has delivered new funds for treatment programs and opened more supportive recovery housing units.

"We've made progress in recent years and we'll continue these efforts, but we know there is more work to do until every Manitoban who is dealing with an addiction is able to get the support they need in the time that they need it," he said at a news conference at the Manitoba Legislature.

Goertzen said Manitoba was poised to provide better regulations for treatment services by introducing legislation which will not pass this session because the NDP stood it down.

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont blamed both the NDP and PCs for dawdling on improving addiction treatment.

"It has to be said there are more legislative regulations to protect livestock in Manitoba than there are to protect human beings with addictions. I mean that literally. If you look at our legislation, there is nothing governing how people with addictions are supposed to be treated or for licensing for addictions facilities. So it's worse than a Wild West," Lamont said.

"The PC's did nothing about it until this spring and the NDP blocked the bill."

Marion Willis, founder of Morberg House, said the province has to understand people need treatment and support that lasts longer than a 28-day stay in a treatment centre.

"They'll never be enough institutional space for the people that are out there because they're going to constantly relapse and the demand will never decrease," she said, advising the province to rethink its strategy.