Wait time for addiction treatment rises, Manitoba Liberals say

The wait time for addictions treatment in Winnipeg can be as long as seven months, the Manitoba Liberals say.

Figuresprovided by the Liberals, which they obtained through a Freedom of Information request, say the average wait time for residential addiction treatmentin Winnipeg was 206days for women and 52 days for men.

The figures are as of October 2018, and the chart provided through the request also says the wait times can be be lower because some clients don't show up for appointments and those with urgent needs can be prioritized.

On Monday, the Liberals said budgets for the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba,mental health and addictions had decreased, but a provincialgovernment spokesperson said that's not correct.

In fact, funding has increased nearly $25 million from 2016-17 to 2017-18, the spokesperson said.

The Progressive Conservative government is mulling over a report on addictions and mental healthreleased last May .

• Addictions report calls for reduced reliance on 12-step programs, but some stand by their effectiveness

The PC government has opened several rapid access addictions treatment clinics across the province and has set up a task force to look for other recommendations to fight what many say is a crisis with drug addiction, especially methamphetamine.

LiberalLeaderDougaldLamont said government signedan agreement with the federal government providing the province with$399.6 million over 10 years forhome care andmental healthservices.

"You should be seeing an increase; I mean, there should be an increase somewhere of $40 milliona year,dedicatedto mental health, and addictions is part of that. But we are having trouble finding out where that is," Lamont said.

Wants ad campaign

The Liberal leader saidthere are a number ofinitiativesthe government could take immediately such as increasing publicawareness about the dangers of drugs such as methbut they haven't.

"An anti-meth ad campaign there is nothing preventing them from doing that right now, and from taking on a whole bunch of active measures [such as] extending the length of stay [for people intreatment] and increasing new beds," Lamont said.

• New illicit drug task force will look for ways to fight meth, opioid crisis in Manitoba
• Winnipeg: A city wide awake on crystal meth

Provincial Health Minister Cameron Friesen blamed Ottawa for part of the problem.

"It is ironic the Manitoba Liberals are accusing our government of cutting funding which we aren't at a time when the federal Liberal government is reducing health transfers to Manitoba," Friesen wrote in a statement.

The federal health transfer to Manitoba is risingfrom $1.357 billion in 2017-18 to $1.409 billion this year,and has increased every year since 2010.

Friesen's statement also said his government has made "substantial investments" to deal with addictions issues and there are more to come.

AFM doubles women's beds from 12 to 24

The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba may be spending less money, but it's increasing some services.

"There has been no reduction in the number of beds in AFM's residential treatment facilities. In fact, in the past year, we doubled the number of beds in the women's residential treatment centre in Winnipeg from 12 to 24," wroteJennifer Faulder, the foundation's communications director.

Fauler told CBC News in an email the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba was "directed tomanage within the funding envelope without negatively impacting services."

CBC News has asked the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority for more information about funding of addictions and mental health services.