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This article was published 8/6/2018 (839 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MOST importantly, it would be more than a bar.

The push to develop Manitoba’s first managed alcohol program (MAP) will inch past another milestone today. The non-profit Sunshine House will unveil a feasibility report, which could help people addicted to alcohol.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Sunshine House will release a feasibility report on the proposed alcohol program today.

Registered nurse Margaret Bryans, the report’s lead author, spoke with community members who would access MAPs if they were available, and found that would-be clients want more than just a place to imbibe.

"They were like, ‘We just want it to be more than a place where people go and get alcohol. We want it to be a place where people heal and recover, connect with culture and identity, if that’s important to them,’" she said Thursday.

"They really wanted to hear from people who had been in similar situations and had made changes in their lives, who were still having a hard time, but were moving forward. That was a really important component for them as well."

The report outlines five types of MAPs in Canada: residential, drop-in, trade-in, co-op or informal. She recommends establishing a "pilot day program, with strong housing supports for participants" in Winnipeg.

MAPs operate in Vancouver, Edmonton, Thunder Bay, Ottawa and Toronto, among other cities.

In Vancouver, participants can trade non-potable alcohol sources — mouthwash, hairspray, hand sanitizer or cleaning products — for traditional types, doled out by health-care professionals. Many MAPs also make their own home brews to cut down on costs.

Wine, beer or liquor can be offered on an hourly basis or a few times per day, according to each MAP house rules. Doses depend on a person’s tolerance, but the goal is to give clients enough alcohol so they won’t experience withdrawal symptoms, Bryans said.

Many of those addicted to alcohol are homeless — nearly 40 per cent, according to one study — so pairing Manitoba’s first MAP with some type of housing support is top of mind for those involved with the project. End Homelessness Winnipeg and the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Clinic are interested in partnering on the work and were among more than 75 groups consulted for the feasibility report.

The Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba also weighed in, saying a MAP wouldn’t need a liquor licence to operate, as "the alcohol would be dispensed by a health-care professional as permitted under subsection 72(b) of the Liquor and Gaming Control Act," said Kristianne Dechant, the authority’s director of communications.

Dechant wouldn’t weigh in on whether a MAP is necessary in Manitoba, saying it is "a harm-reduction approach, and so outside the scope of the LGA’s regulatory mandate."

Kevin Engstrom, a spokesman from the provincial health department, said it is interested in reading more details in Sunshine House’s report.

"As referenced in the Virgo report (on mental health and addictions) last month, alcohol takes a heavy toll on almost all segments of Manitoban society and needs to be kept top-of-mind in addictions policy," he said.

Main Street Project, a "wet" shelter in downtown Winnipeg that allows those who aren’t sober to use its facilities, is also trying to introduce a managed alcohol program for some of its clients.

A timeline for building a MAP at Sunshine House will depend on funding availability and community support. The latter component may be the biggest hurdle, Bryans said.

"It’s sort of a complicated thing to wrap our heads around, and also it’s a really critical thing for people who have not been able to find success in any other traditional models," she said.

"There is definitely a lot of will to move forward. We have a community here that has a need for a managed alcohol program, and people deserve that dignity."

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @_jessbu