Manitoba task force looking into meth and other drugs to release report this week

More than six months after the Illicit Drug Task Force was announced, their report is set to be released this week.

Michael Jack, the city’s Chief Corporate Services Officer, told reporters the goal is to release the report before Friday.

Jack says the 30-plus page report includes categories of prevention and education, treatment and law enforcement.

“We’re trying to focus on a good handful of recommendations in each of those areas that we think have a realistic prospect of being actually adopted,” he said.

“There’s no elephant in the room, in Winnipeg, meth has been a pretty primary focus of our discussions all year but the definition and our terms of reference is broader to cover other illicit drugs as well.”

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On Monday, the task force is meeting for the final time to look at the report.

The tri-level task force involves provincial, federal and municipal leaders working together to respond to the rapid increase in meth use and distribution across the province.

Jack didn’t reveal how many recommendations are in the report but did say there would be more than 10 and less than 50.

 “We are then going to take steps at the public service level to implement what comes out of this report,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter:  "We are then going to take steps at the public service level to implement what comes out of this report," he said.

“We were very deliberately not just trying to skate on the surface of things that were just obvious and band aids so you will see some recommendations in there that do go to fundamental issues that underpin this.”

Below are the members of the illicit drug task force:

• Dr. Rob Grierson, WFPS medical director
• Dr. Michael Isaac, acting chief provincial public health officer
• Real Cloutier, WRHA president and CEO
• Kim Nicholson, Winnipeg Police Service strategic affairs manager
• Insp. Max Waddell, Winnipeg Police Service street crimes division
• Rick Lees, Main Street Project executive director
• Damon Johnston, Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg CEO
• Trevor Myshrall, WFPS advance care paramedic
• Insp. Rob Lasson, RCMP
• Kelly Holmes, Resource Assistance for Youth (RAY)
• Sel Burrows, North Point Douglas chair of the board of directors
• Greg Burnett, Manitoba Justice
• Deputy Chief Randy Lewis, Brandon Police Service
• Eric Costen, Health Canada