Latest news with #BernadetteSmith
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Manitoba helping to pay for repairs at Brandon housing co-op
The Manitoba government is paying to help repair a housing co-op in Brandon that's been in operation for nearly 40 years. On Thursday, Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith announced the province is giving $500,000 to the Spruce Woods Housing Co-op—a facility that provides affordable housing to low-income families and seniors. According to Smith, the provincial funds will be used for repairs and maintenance at the 81-unit facility, located at 30 Braecrest Dr. She added this money will also help to keep rent affordable at the co-op. 'We've put a lot of focus on moving people from encampments into housing, but that's just one part of our housing plan,' she said. 'We're also protecting the affordable housing that we already have, investing in places like right here, Spruce Woods Housing Co-op.' The Spruce Woods Housing Co-op also receives over $14,000 a month through the province's non-profit housing funding model.
CBC
10-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Brandon affordable housing co-op gets $500K for long-sought repairs
A Brandon housing co-op that has been pleading with the Manitoba government for funds to repair its aging infrastructure got a $500,000 response on Thursday. "To the residents of Spruce Woods Housing Co-op, you have each other's back, and now your government is stepping up in a way to have your back," Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said at a funding announcement. The 40-year-old co-op complex on Braecrest Drive in the western Manitoba city offers housing to qualifying low-income families and seniors. It has 81 units and about 160 residents. Manager Eva Cameron has been advocating for a couple of years for money from the province, saying without capital funding for expensive repairs, the co-op would have struggled to keep rents affordable. "In April 2023, we started reaching out to all levels of government for help. At a time when everyone was talking about the need for affordable housing … we thought, how hard can it be to get the support that we needed? Well, we certainly heard the word no a lot." At the time, the current NDP government was in Opposition and its MLAs were the only ones who would listen to Cameron's concerns, she said. Since the NDP came to power in 2023, there have been more yeses, she said. Last year, the province and co-op inked a new five-year deal to support the complex with operational costs of $14,000 each month. The additional $500,000 will help ensure repair work gets done and rents stay affordable, Cameron said. "We won't have to look at increasing our rent by $100-plus a month or even just give up on providing affordable housing altogether." Some members of the co-op pay $300-$400 a month on rent, which amounts to 30 per cent of their total income, but that money doesn't go far when appliances need to be replaced or other maintenance done, Cameron said. "By being able to provide affordable housing, it allows our seniors to live with dignity, it helps our families to be able to afford feeding their children, and in many cases, it has helped many families save enough money for the down payment on their very first home," she said. "We're not only a co-op that provides affordable housing, we're a community — a community that helps each other. We look out for each other. We even drive out to Carberry to load a truck of potatoes to bring back for our members." Natalie Karnatzki, who has a fixed income and has lived in the complex with her daughter for about two years, said without support for affordable housing, there are limited options for families like hers. "Before here, I was living in a two-bedroom apartment above a beer vendor," she said. "It's a really bad area, because the, you know, the bar is there, everything's right there and definitely was a scary area." Carl Partridge, who has lived in Spruce Woods for five years, is no longer able to work and relies on affordable and subsidized housing. If rents go up, "I'd be out on the street, because for me right now [my income is] $800 a month," he said. The funding still isn't enough to do all the work the co-op needs, which would cost $2.5 million, Cameron said. Cameron, whom Brandon East MLA Glen Simard called a "tenacious, strong advocate," said she will continue to try to bend the ears of the other levels of government in her quest for more funding. The co-op also continues to fundraise what it can on its own. In the meantime, Cameron intends to identify the most pressing needs at the complex and get them addressed "as quickly as we can." Those include refurbishing 28 townhouses, installing energy-efficient windows and possibly moving the office so its current space can become another housing unit.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Minister says ‘listening and consulting' on supervised drug site continues
Manitoba is 'forging ahead' with plans to establish its first supervised consumption site, in Winnipeg, this year, says the minister leading the charge. 'This is something that's still top of mind and something we're forging ahead on,' Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said Monday. The NDP campaigned on a promise to establish a supervised consumption site in the 2023 election because the Tory government at the time refused to consider it. 'This is very personal for me,' the minister said in an interview. 'I've met with far too many loved ones who've lost someone to an overdose and this is about getting it right.' The province hasn't yet 'landed' on a proposed site but is 'moving toward' on having a site up and running by year's end, Smith said. On July 12, 2024, the Manitoba government announced $727,000 to support the development of an Indigenous-led supervised consumption site in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg. The Indigenous organization applied in November to Health Canada for a licence to operate the harm-reduction service in Point Douglas; its staff would be trained to respond to accidental overdoses and other emergencies, and help patients access health and social services. In April, community members at a public consultation meeting raised concerns about a proposed site at 200 Disraeli Fwy., and how it could affect the safety of their neighbourhood. 'We're listening to everyone that's coming to the table with ideas, whether that's for or against. We want to listen to both and we've certainly heard from both.'– Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith 'We're still listening and consulting with folks,' Smith said. 'We're listening to everyone that's coming to the table with ideas, whether that's for or against. We want to listen to both and we've certainly heard from both.' The NDP government's spring budget includes $1.3 million for Shared Health to contract with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre to operate the site. It would be the first Indigenous-led facility of its kind in Canada, the province says. Each proposed supervised consumption site requires an exemption under section 56.1 of the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Health Canada says. A completed application must include key information related to policies and procedures, personnel, local conditions, community consultations and finances. Health Canada lists the Winnipeg application as being in the 'review' stage and 'awaiting key information before decision can be taken.' Related Articles Many parts to fighting addictions crisis 944 needles in 16 parks over 10 days Harm reduction, not handcuffs Law-enforcement part of supervised-consumption site plan, police say Minister on hot seat over supervised drug site Opponents of supervised consumption sites need to do their research Skyrocketing opioid calls take toll on first responders Minister reassures Point Douglas safety top concern in rollout of supervised drug site 'We got lucky': Sunshine House, WFPS save 10 from overdoses Think twice before rejecting Disraeli proposal for safe consumption site Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. 'We're not rushing this by any means,' Smith said. 'We've listened to experts, we've listened to community members, we've listened to folks on the front lines, those who are in their addictions and we're going to continue to do that work,' Smith said. 'We've also gone and looked at other jurisdictions. We want to make sure that we're creating a made in Manitoba model (where) safety and security is No. 1' with treatment and recovery supports in place. Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
New homeless camps off the table, Manitoba government tells Main Street Project
The province has put Main Street Project on notice after agency workers were captured on video helping set up a homeless encampment in Point Douglas last week where one had recently been cleared. Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith has directed MSP — one of the key players in the province's Your Way Home strategy to end homelessness — and other service delivery organizations not to move people into encampments. 'I have talked to them about this situation,' Smith said in an interview with the Free Press Monday. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Minister of housing, addictions and homelessness Bernadette Smith has directed the Main Street Project and other service delivery organizations not to move people into encampments. 'Going forward, it's from encampment to housing. The Your Way Home strategy outlines that pretty clearly,' she said. The stated goal of Your Way Home, the two-year $20-million initiative announced by Premier Wab Kinew in January is moving people living outside into appropriate housing with needed supports, one camp at a time. The sites are to be cleaned up afterward, with city crews monitoring to ensure they're not reoccupied. 'If there are situations where we don't have housing available and there is an unsafe condition and there's unique circumstances, then they are to get in touch with us and we will deal with those, case by case,' Smith said. 'All of the service delivery organizations have known that that is the strategy and, moving forward, that is what everyone needs to follow.' A Point Douglas resident captured video last Tuesday of a Main Street Project outreach van dropping off two individuals, along with a tent, tarp, suitcases and other supplies. Two agency workers helped drag the equipment down to the riverbank and assisted in setting up the shelter. The resident, Howard Warren, informed the Point Douglas Residents Committee, which composed a letter raising several neighbourhood concerns that was sent to MSP and copied to Kinew, Mayor Scott Gillingham, the Progressive Conservative housing critic, End Homelessness Winnipeg, the United Way and the Winnipeg Foundation. Smith said both individuals in the encampment were moved into housing over the weekend. 'We are all on the same page that we need to get people into housing.'–Minister Bernadette Smith MSP — a non-profit health organization largely funded with public money via various government programs and grants — has declined repeated Free Press requests for comment since the letter was revealed last Thursday; a promised statement Monday afternoon did not materialize. Smith said she spoke to Gillingham Monday, and that he is 'on board' with her directive to MSP executives. 'We are all on the same page that we need to get people into housing,' she said. 'If housing isn't available, and there are unique circumstances, we will deal with them as they arise.' Earlier in the day at an unrelated event, Gillingham mentioned that End Homelessness Winnipeg — an Indigenous housing advocate organization responsible for distributing federal program funds — plans to convene a meeting of representatives from homelessness agencies, the province and city to discuss the Point Douglas Residents Committee's concerns. The matter was raised during question period in the Manitoba legislature Monday by Morden-Winkler MLA Carrie Hiebert, the Tories' housing, addictions and homelessness critic, who wanted to know whether Smith could ensure no taxpayer dollars would be used to help set up new encampments. Smith said rather than address the growing number of homeless people, the former PC government sold off social housing units, making matters worse. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. 'I've talked to some of those folks that are in encampments that were living in those units that are now getting wraparound supports,' she said afterward. 'They're on a path to whatever it is that they want to succeed at in their life, whether it's reunification with their families or getting into a program so they can build their skills and get into the workforce or stable housing.' SCOTT BILLECK / FREE PRESS 'These are Manitobans that deserve to live in dignified housing. Manitobans were pretty clear they didn't want to see folks living in encampments, bus shelters, under bridges. The previous government left people in those situations. 'We're going to continue to support and get housing online and get people out of encampments with the supports they need.' — With files from Joyanne Pursaga Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
26-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
New homelessness camps off the table, province tells Main Street Project
The province has put Main Street Project on notice after agency workers were captured on video helping set up a homeless encampment in Point Douglas last week where one had recently been cleared. Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith has directed MSP — one of the key players in the province's Your Way Home strategy to end homelessness — and other service delivery organizations not to move people into encampments. 'I have talked to them about this situation,' Smith said in an interview with the Free Press Monday. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Minister of housing, addictions and homelessness Bernadette Smith has directed the Main Street Project and other service delivery organizations not to move people into encampments. 'Going forward, it's from encampment to housing. The Your Way Home strategy outlines that pretty clearly,' she said. The stated goal of Your Way Home, the two-year $20-million initiative announced by Premier Wab Kinew in January is moving people living outside into appropriate housing with needed supports, one camp at a time. The sites are to be cleaned up afterward, with city crews monitoring to ensure they're not reoccupied. 'If there are situations where we don't have housing available and there is an unsafe condition and there's unique circumstances, then they are to get in touch with us and we will deal with those, case by case,' Smith said. 'All of the service delivery organizations have known that that is the strategy and, moving forward, that is what everyone needs to follow.' A Point Douglas resident captured video last Tuesday of a Main Street Project outreach van dropping off an individual, along with a tent, tarp, suitcases and other supplies. Two agency workers helped drag the equipment down to the riverbank and assisted in setting up the shelter. The resident, Howard Warren, informed the Point Douglas Residents Committee, which composed a letter raising several neighbourhood concerns that was sent to MSP and copied to Kinew, Mayor Scott Gillingham, the Progressive Conservative housing critic, End Homelessness Winnipeg, the United Way and the Winnipeg Foundation. MSP — a non-profit health organization largely funded with public money via various government programs and grants — has declined repeated Free Press requests for comment since the letter was revealed last Thursday; a promised statement Monday afternoon did not materialize. 'We are all on the same page that we need to get people into housing.'–Minister Bernadette Smith Smith said she spoke to Gillingham Monday, and that he is 'on board' with her directive to MSP executives. 'We are all on the same page that we need to get people into housing,' she said. 'If housing isn't available, and there are unique circumstances, we will deal with them as they arise.' Earlier in the day at an unrelated event, Gillingham mentioned that End Homelessness Winnipeg — an Indigenous housing advocate organization responsible for distributing federal program funds — plans to convene a meeting of representatives from homelessness agencies, the province and city to discuss the Point Douglas Residents Committee's concerns. The matter was raised during question period in the Manitoba legislature Monday by Morden-Winkler MLA Carrie Hiebert, the Tories' housing, addictions and homelessness critic, who wanted to know whether Smith could ensure no taxpayer dollars would be used to help set up new encampments. Smith said rather than address the growing number of homeless people, the former PC government sold off social housing units, making matters worse. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. 'I've talked to some of those folks that are in encampments that were living in those units that are now getting wraparound supports,' she said afterward. 'They're on a path to whatever it is that they want to succeed at in their life, whether it's reunification with their families or getting into a program so they can build their skills and get into the workforce or stable housing.' 'These are Manitobans that deserve to live in dignified housing. Manitobans were pretty clear they didn't want to see folks living in encampments, bus shelters, under bridges. The previous government left people in those situations. SCOTT BILLECK / FREE PRESS 'We're going to continue to support and get housing online and get people out of encampments with the supports they need.' — With files from Joyanne Pursaga Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
