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Profs host meth talk with Jib Stop and St. Boniface Street Links

UWinnipeg criminal justice faculty, Drs. Kelly Gorkoff and Katharina Maier have invited community outreach organizations, Jib Stop and St. Boniface Street Links for a public discussion on crystal meth in Winnipeg. ©UWinnipeg

Two University of Winnipeg criminal justice faculty members Dr. Katharina Maier and Dr. Bronwyn Dobchuk-Land will join two local organizations, Jib Stop and St. Boniface Street Links, for a public discussion about crystal meth in Winnipeg on campus on Wednesday, June 5 in Eckhardt Gramatté Hall.

This will be an open, collaborative, safe space to have a discussion that is informed by different people’s experience and expertise.

Dr. Katharina Maier

As part of the discussion, Maier and Dobchuk-Land, will give a presentation outlining an in-progress research project exploring, for example, how broader shifts in the relationship between punitive vs. welfare-oriented frameworks impact the way communities respond to social problems.

It was while Maier and Dobchuk-Land were conducting research into this project that their colleague, Dr. Kelly Gorkoff, introduced them to Dane Bourget, founder of the meth peer-support group, Jib Stop.

“That is when we started talking about the idea of hosting an event at UWinnipeg,” explained Maier. “I can’t take credit for planning it, but feel fortunate to be part of it. I’m thankful to Dane for organizing this event in collaboration with others at St. Boniface Street Links.”

The event brings together academics, front-line professionals such as police and paramedics, members of the legal community, and the general public.

“The intention is to bring together people in the community to share information and resources, and to discuss the issue by prioritizing people working directly with the issue,” said Gorkoff. “It’s meant to provide a space to share and listen in a non-judgmental, non-political space. It also highlights the work people have been doing in addictions for years, before this issue was labeled a crisis.”

Attendees will explore questions such as, what is meth and where did it originate; how effective are current models of treatment and rehabilitation for the meth epidemic; and what is needed in order for individuals, families, and the broader community to overcome meth addiction in our city and province?

“This is a great event for the Department of Criminal Justice to be involved in, not only because it relates directly to my current research but also because many of the issues that will likely come up during this discussion touch on issues concerning criminal justice and front-line actors,” said Maier.

An Honest Discussion about Crystal Meth in Winnipeg is free and open to the public. It is organized by Jib Stop and St. Boniface Street Links in collaboration with Maier and Gorkoff. It takes place Wednesday, June 5, 12:30 – 3:30 pm, in UWinnipeg’s Eckhardt Gramatté Hall. 

“This will be an open, collaborative, safe space to have a discussion that is informed by different people’s experience and expertise,” said Maier. “It should make for a vibrant dialogue and hopefully new connections and collaborations that will ultimately benefit people who are struggling.”