Drug trafficking problem is on a rise in Canada for the last couple of years. Winnipeg authorities started a full-scale investigation into the city`s meth problem. As per Winnipeg Police, there is a spike in meth-related crime incidents, like property theft, residential break-ins, unreasonable anger towards each other (meth users) and other people around them, violent attacks, some ending up in lethal outcomes for victims.
As Winnipeg continues to deal with the effects of a meth crisis, communities in rural Manitoba are fighting their own battles with the devastating drug.
Southwest of Manitoba’s capital in Winkler, city officials and police say an increase in meth use is affecting safety. Along with an impact on safety, Winkler Mayor Martin Harder said meth use is hurting family dynamics within the small centre.
Ten minutes away in Morden, Mayor Brandon Burley said his community is also seeing petty crime like bicycle thefts because of meth use, pointing to a street downtown where he says there were five or six break-ins in the last two weeks.
There is a study conducted by Winnipeg Police department about how people on meth are no longer productive, so they have to find other ways to get money to fuel their addiction and get more drugs. People on meth turn to pity theft and other, more serious crimes. Bike theft, residential break-ins, garage theft is now a rising problem in the city. It appears that Manitoba’s “Grand Plan” for combating illicit drugs is being postponed.
The task of the target group is to develop practical recommendations for combating the use and distribution of meth and other illegal drugs, including opioids and cocaine. It will be co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Health Karen Hurd and Michael Jack, chief specialist in corporate services for the city.