Tories want to turn shuttered Manitoba facility for people with disabilities into addictions recovery centre

Ian Froese · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 21, 2026 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 21

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives believe a former facility for people with intellectual disabilities should have a new life supporting Manitobans struggling with opioid addictions.

Jeff Bereza is the party's critic for addictions. The MLA for Portage la Prairie says the dozen-plus buildings on the northern outskirts of that city — empty but still being maintained by provincial government workers — would be an "amazing" site for a recovery centre.

"This place will end up saving a ton of people," he said. "It will give people hope again."

The former Manitoba Developmental Centre has a dark history.

A provincial court ruled in 2023 that former residents, alleging decades of physical and sexual abuse, were entitled to compensation, approving a $17-million class-action settlement.

A year later, the last resident moved out of the controversial provincially run facility.

The Manitoba government has vowed to find a new use for the largely empty property but hasn't made any decisions.

Bereza said an addictions recovery centre is a needed response to a drug crisis gripping communities across Manitoba. He said there's a months-long wait at some private facilities.

WATCH | Tories pitch Portage la Prairie location as addictions recovery centre:

"The province needs to be involved in this because No. 1, they've got the building and the facility for it."

He said the property already has secure rooms that could become detox beds, laundry and kitchen services, and programming to help people transition into society — including a trades building and a recreational centre.

Bereza said he's open to a public or private operator for the facility, though he wants to ensure it is available to everyone who needs it, regardless of their financial situation.

He didn't have an estimate for the costs to refurbish the site and run it.

The Manitoba Developmental Centre had more than 1,200 adults and children living there at its peak, according to the Manitoba Historical Society, and employed hundreds of people.

The province announced in 2021 that the centre, one of Canada's last large institutional facilities, would close after its remaining 133 residents were moved to community living.

Portage la Prairie Mayor Sharilyn Knox said an addictions recovery centre is one of the "good ideas" floated to her about the site.

She said some First Nations and the Portage la Prairie School Division, which already uses one building for off-campus and student programming, have also expressed interest. Knox has also heard the site could provide training opportunities for law enforcement.

She doesn't necessarily have a preferred choice, but said, "I would love to see a facility that brought back some good jobs," referring to the positions lost when the Manitoba Developmental Centre and Agassiz Youth Centre, a provincially run youth correctional centre, closed down.

Knox said she's been told the province will issue an expression of interest to gather proposals.

She's confident the facility will eventually be repurposed since provincial staff continue to maintain the buildings and grounds.

"I haven't lost the faith at all because, I mean, they're investing in it. They're keeping the lights on."

• Former residents helping ensure stories of abuse at Manitoba Developmental Centre aren't forgotten

The government wouldn't say whether it likes the Tory proposal for the former residential care facility, but said in a statement it has opened more than 1,200 treatment spaces for addictions and recovery since the NDP was elected in 2023.

The statement also highlighted the recent opening of the supervised consumption site in Winnipeg for saving lives and guiding Manitobans on a path to recovery.

The province is continuing to speak with residents, the federal government and other partners "as we work towards a new era" for the former Manitoba Developmental Centre, government spokesperson Andrew Chapman added.

Premier Wab Kinew suggested last year that the site could become a permanent evacuation site after the province used it to house wildfire evacuees.

Kyle Ross, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, said that proposal has merit, but it would be used infrequently.

"If you have to pay to heat [the buildings], maintain them all the time, we should have people working in them or using them full-time," said Ross, whose union previously represented workers at the facility.

Ross said the 100-acre property is large enough for multiple uses. The MGEU has proposed using it as a correctional facility for individuals about to be released from custody.

He believes a detention centre and addictions recovery centre could complement each other on the same grounds.

"We know many of the incarcerated suffer from addictions as well," Ross said.

• Former Manitoba facility for people with disabilities could be permanent evacuation centre, premier says

• Stefanson apologizes for abuse at Manitoba Developmental Centre as part of $17M settlement

Shelly Burton, who fosters two children and a number of dogs, said she likes that the facility across the street from her home could be a recovery centre — helping those who need another chance.

"I think people need to recover somewhere. And if we get 10 people a year recovered from addiction, we've done a good job," she said.