Breaking the Chains of Addictions:
Manitoba’s Five-Point Strategic Plan

Manitoba’s current addictions services system offers a range of services and has a high degree of commitment from service providers and the agencies they represent. 

There is a need to better coordinate these services and work with partners across the system to create and implement a provincial plan. Manitoba Health and Healthy Living has developed a five-point vision to guide planning and investments in addictions services to ensure residential and community-based treatment options are accessible to Manitobans across the province. 

Goals and Objectives

Goal One: Build a Better System.

Manitoba offers a wide range of addictions services that support individuals and families in their recovery process. These services need to be better connected to each other, as well as to other health care services and supports, including primary care, acute care and mental health services.  

Changes will be made to improve the existing addictions system to ensure clients and their family members can smoothly navigate their way through the spectrum of services and supports.

Objectives include:

• establishing a collaborative provincial leadership team to develop and oversee a strategic plan; and 
• revisiting and revising the current Addictions Foundation Act to create legislation that will be relevant to all provincially-funded addictions agencies and support partnerships between service providers, better connect addictions services with the mental health care system, establish quality monitoring processes.  

Goal Two: Improve service access and the ability of clients to receive the right service in the right place at the right time.

In Manitoba, a range of services are available to combat the powerful effects of addictions that threaten not only individuals and families, but also communities. Once a person chooses to seek treatment for an addiction, they must be able to connect with the services they need as soon as possible.

Objectives include:

• exploring the development of a centralized  assessment unit for adults looking to access services Winnipeg; and
• establishing a provincial navigation and support intake line for adult addictions services; and
• creating provincial standards for the intake and assessment processes for adults and youth.

Goal Three: Increase residential treatment capacity.

Addictions services are tailored to meet the needs of each client. Residential treatment is an option for some people who need a wide range of services and supports to help them on the road to recovery.

Objectives include:

• opening a multi-agency treatment facility in Winnipeg that will address the current wait time clients experience by adding additional beds and service providers and offer a continuous and comprehensive range of services under one roof.

Goal Four: Build community-based treatment capacity to reach under-served populations.

Community-based treatment options can adjust the services they provide based on the needs of the client.  Currently, there are areas of the province where community-based treatment options are limited, as are some high-demand services for those with mental health issues or cognitive impairments. Manitoba Health and Healthy Living is committed to enhancing these services.

Objectives include:

• developing community-based treatment services in under-served areas of the province; and
• developing community-based services for under-served populations such as people living with some levels of cognitive impairment, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), high-risk women and seniors.

Goal Five: Enhance addictions research in Manitoba.

There is an opportunity to break new ground and establish a provincial research agenda for addictions. Manitoba is very well positioned to research addictions services in a wide range of areas, such as  addictions services for women, addictions services for people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and those with cognitive impairments, an area with little existing research.

Objectives include:

• developing a well considered research function in partnership with academic institutions, public health and other organizations at the provincial and national levels.