Voices of youth living with addictions highlighted in Manitoba child advocate report

Sherry Gott, Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth, is photographed at her office in Winnipeg, Thursday, October 20, 2022. Youth and groups that work with young people are voicing their concerns over the state of addiction services in the province in a new report released by the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)

WINNIPEG -

A new report from the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth paints a picture of the state of addictions services for young people in the province and what needs to change.

It draws on feedback from dozens of young people and more than 120 service providers that work with youth.

"This report has a soul. We've released many reports in our office that had to do with children dying," advocate Sherry Gott said Thursday.

"And this report, we spoke to youth that are still here today."

Some of the concerns youth identified include limited access to services, long wait-lists, geographic barriers, and a lack of integrated mental health support and harm reduction services.

Those working in the field said some of the problems they see include underfunding, staff shortages and a lack of collaboration between agencies.

Systemic and structural changes are needed to address the growing number of youth seeking substance-abuse help, said Gott.

"We have learned that fractured and siloed approaches and services are ineffective, and that young people want and need strategies and services that are integrated, holistic and comprehensive," she said.

"We must listen to the youth and ensure that their needs, rights and interests are at the centre of all that we do."

The province's current youth addiction system is largely ill-equipped to meet the complex needs of many young people and is loaded with persistent and long-standing gaps and barriers, the report said.

Gott's office has found that youth struggling with drug and alcohol dependency are disproportionately Indigenous and often have mental health issues and troubled childhoods.

Nearly half of the participants spoke about having experienced a form of trauma, such as sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, grief or poverty.

Youth cited a lack of information for available services and outreach. Some talked about only learning about supports when they were incarcerated.

"The fact that some youth need to get to the point of being criminally charged to receive information about services is highly problematic," the report said.

Others said there are limited resources in remote and rural communities, forcing them to leave their support systems to receive help.

Sunday Queskekapow, 23, described needing a homeless shelter for youth while living in northern Manitoba, but no options were available.

"I had to be essentially extracted from my community to receive care that would keep me alive," said Queskekapow, who is two-spirit and trans.

Queskekapow now lives in Winnipeg and advocates for more supports for northern LGBTQ+ youth, including access to harm reduction supplies.

Gott said her office has seen a significant increase in the number of people trying to access addictions services, and has previously called on the province to develop a youth-focused addictions strategy.

Details from a report from Gott's office earlier this year on youth addictions found that advocacy requests for youth living with addictions jumped to 22 per cent from three per cent in the past five years.

Her office also found a concerning number of young people who have died from a suspected overdose.

A team reviewed child and youth deaths between 2018 and 2023 and found 56 youth deaths were related to possible drug overdoses or involved substance use.

"We would like to see a strategy as soon as possible because we know that youth are dying," Gott said.

The new report doesn't offer new recommendations, but urges policymakers to use feedback from it to guide changes to youth addiction services.

The province said it is creating a new virtual crisis consultation service to provide support and clinical advice to groups that work with youth struggling with substance use.

   This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2024.