Advocate for a National Awareness Campaign
Healthy Living Crystal Meth Public Awareness Campaign
Healthy Schools Component and Website on Meth
Coordinate Training of Front Line Workers
Increasing Capacity for Addictions Agencies
Youth Drug Stabilization
Crisis Support Services for Parents and Family Members
Drug Court

Advocate for a National Awareness Campaign

The Manitoba government has pressed for a stronger federal role in increasing public awareness of crystal meth, and Manitoba has urged the federal government to research, test and develop a national awareness campaign for use by provinces and territories. The federal government has not yet committed to coordinating a campaign specific to crystal meth, however it has recently announced its intention to develop a broad, national anti-drug campaign.

The Council of the Federation, comprised of all 13 provincial and territorial Premiers from across Canada, has provided leadership in this area. In November 2006, Manitoba, as a member of the Council of the Federation, participated in a national awareness campaign on crystal meth and other addictive drugs. Launched during National Addictions Week, national and local newspaper ads ran until early 2007. The web sites, aimed at improving communication between young people and their parents in order to help reduce the harm caused by meth and other drugs, can be found at: www.GetTheFactsOnDrugs.ca and www.TalkingWithYourKids.ca.

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Healthy Living Crystal Meth Public Awareness Campaign

Manitoba Healthy Living established a Crystal Meth Public Awareness Committee that provided input on the development of a public awareness campaign to inform Manitobans about crystal meth. The campaign, launched in November 2005, included both TV ads, transit shelter ads, radio ads, community forums, a website and a brochure.

Manitoba Health conducted six community forums with two occurring in Winnipeg, one in Brandon, one in Carman, one in Thompson and one in Lac du Bonnet. Manitoba Health will respond and organize future forums as requested and needed.

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Healthy Schools Component and Website on Meth

Work is underway to produce resources to support school communities (children, youth, parents, and school staff) in mental health promotion and prevention. Substance abuse, including crystal meth, is one of the health issues targeted for resource development. Internet-based material has been posted on the Healthy Schools website.

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Coordinate Training of Front Line Workers

The Province has provided internet based meth training to 600 police and other first responders through the Canadian Police Knowledge Network with an additional 50 spots provided to Manitoba municipalities. 

Manitoba Healthy Living’s Mental Health and Addictions Branch led a committee to identify service provider training occurring in the province, to identify gaps and develop training programs to fill those gaps. To date the following trainings have taken place funded by Manitoba Healthy Living:

The RCMP is concentrating on training efforts with partner agencies, including first responders, natural resource officers and Manitoba Hydro. More than 200 RCMP members have been trained through their provincial drug investigators course and regional conferences. 

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Increasing Capacity for Addictions Agencies

Clients who need help with crystal meth addictions often present with mental health issues and both mental health and addictions services need to be able to respond to such demands.

We have increased the capacity of mental health and addiction services - both in terms of volume and in terms of staff readiness to work with users of crystal meth. In addition to the $6M that was initially invested in November 2005 to implement the Crystal Meth strategy, another $6.7M in December 2005, $2M in the 2006 budget and $9M in September 2006 has been invested in Mental health and addictions services.

Some of the recent investments in mental health and addictions programs include:

• funding for two new youth outreach positions with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, one located in Winnipeg and one in Thompson;
• investing in a second Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team, the priority of which will be to facilitate the discharge of patients from Selkirk Mental Health Centre who require support in the community;
• establishing and maintaining a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week provincial suicide prevention line;
• providing additional training for health-care staff in suicide prevention;
• increasing ongoing funding to the Teen Talk program to enhance its work throughout the province;
• funding for additional staffing for the Winnipeg Early Intervention in Psychosis program;
• funding to establish an Early Intervention in Mental Illness program in Brandon; and
• funding to provide additional community mental-health workers in the regional health authorities.

Detailed information on addictions services available across Manitoba can be found for youth at http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyliving/addictions/youth.html and for adults at http://www.gov.mb.ca/healthyliving/addictions/adult.html.

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Youth Drug Stabilization

The Youth Drug Stabilization (Support for Parents) Act went into effect November 1, 2006 across Manitoba. While most youth involved with drugs can be served through voluntary programs and services, some youth may be so severely involved with alcohol or drugs that they require a period of stabilization in order to think clearly and make a decision about treatment.

The legislation is for youth under age 18 whose use of alcohol and/or other drugs is both severe and persistent and the youth is likely to deteriorate either psychologically and/or physically. Under the legislation, a parent or guardian can ask the court for an apprehension order which means the youth can be taken to a stabilization facility, even if he or she does not want to go. Upon arrival at the stabilization facility they will be assessed by an addiction specialist who will make a determination whether a stabilization order should be issued. If the stabilization order is issued the youth can be detained at the stabilization facility for a maximum of seven days.

The stabilization facility provides youth with a structured and protective setting in which to begin detoxification. During the seven day period of stabilization counselors will assess the youth, and develop a treatment plan together with the young person to be followed once he/she is discharged from the program.

More information about the Youth Drug Stabilization (Support for Parents) Act can be found at Information for Parents (www.gov.mb.ca/healthyliving/ydsa.html).

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Crisis Support Services for Parents and Family Members

The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba provides a family program to support family members as they deal with the crisis of crystal meth use by a family member.

Additional crisis supports are available, including:

• Mobile crisis units that provide intervention services within an individual’s community.
• Short-term community based crisis stabilization units that provide mental health intervention for those requiring support but not hospitalization.
• Crisis lines that provide telephone intervention and suicide prevention services, which give immediate short term intervention and serve as referral links to other services.

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Drug Court

Justice Canada, the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, Manitoba Justice and other agencies including the Behavioural Health Foundation reached an agreement to establish a drug court in Winnipeg. Funding was awarded in June 2005, and the drug court began working with clients in January 2006.

The drug court will serve non-violent drug dependent criminals (including meth users) who agree to the terms and conditions of the program. The purpose of the drug court is to provide supports and treatment to those who have committed an offence who are addicted.

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