On the heels of an opioid crisis sweeping across Canada, methamphetamine addiction is carving out a large and concerning place in the city of Winnipeg. 

A former meth addict, who identifies as Shawn, isn't surprised. 

"It's so prevalent and it's almost everywhere," Shawn says. "It's in every nook and cranny in Winnipeg and even in other towns outside the city." 

"It's kind of like cocaine in the 80's, it's all over the place." 

Shawn says meth is an extremely addictive drug and it doesn't take much for someone's life to fall apart after they become addicted. 

"I would probably use the word fascinating but also very disturbing," he says. "You get a bit and it's just so powerful. For me, it was a constant down slide before I hit rock bottom."

"It's a really bad epidemic in Winnipeg for sure." 

Const. Jay Murray, a public information officer with the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS), says police have been dealing with a steep rise in methamphetamine consumption and trafficking over the past five years. 

He says a vast majority of property crimes in Winnipeg are drug-related. 

"First it started with an increase in property crime because meth is an extremely addictive substance so people start breaking into garages or stealing bikes and selling that stuff so they can get another hit," Murray said. "But what we're seeing with this increased use of meth is these individuals are now committing violent crimes." 

"They're doing robberies, they're going into gas stations armed with weapons to get more money even quicker." 

Murray says people high on meth are unpredictable, which can lead to police having to use more force to prevent injuries or even deaths. 

"Traditionally when we go to someone in distress or someone that is really down and out we try to talk them down as the first priority," Murray said. "When you're trying to talk to someone who is high on methamphetamine they're not always sensible. We try to solve things peacefully but if we can't, sometimes it results in us having to use extreme force against these individuals." 

Murray says meth is becoming easier to make and he believes it is being produced in the city. He estimates police arrested three to four times more meth dealers and traffickers in the city of Winnipeg in 2017 than in 2012. 

"We've stumbled upon some makeshift labs in Winnipeg," Murray said. "There's a suspicion it comes in from the west coast or Mexico but there's no doubt in my mind it's being produced locally as well. It's easier to produce now so larger amounts are getting into the hands of traffickers."

Murray warns the public to call the police if they hear or catch someone breaking into their garage or stealing their property. He says confronting a suspected thief is risky, because if they are high on meth, they are unpredictable and can become violent very quickly. 

"No property crime is worth someone's life," he said. "We saw a number of incidents this past summer where people confronted suspects breaking into their property and they were injured or even stabbed in some cases." 

"Police have high amounts of training that help us deal with these individuals and we'll do our best to ensure they are properly dealt with." 

Recently, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said meth led to a number of violent incidents involving patients that put hospital staff at risk. 

"A common adverse effect of amphetamines is the aggressive or even violent behaviour," WRHA spokesperson Bronwyn Penner Holigroski said in an emailed statement. "While we do not have empirical evidence that links all incidents of violence towards staff directly to crystal meth alone, we know that anecdotally, it is a contributing factor." 

The WHRA says ensuring the safety of patients and staff is imperative to an effective emergency care program. While reports of staff being injured remain low, the WRHA believes that could be because incidents are under-reported or resolved quickly. 

Manitoba's opposition NDP leader Wab Kinew recently called on the province to do more to deal with addiction. The NDP is lobbying for more safe injection sites in the province, like ones in Ontario, Alberta, B.C. and Quebec. 

The province, however is staying the course as it develops its Mental Health and Addictions strategy, according to Amy McGuinness, a spokesperson for Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen. 

"We are not considering establishing a supervised consumption site in Winnipeg as we have not seen evidence that it would be the most effective use of available funding to help those struggling with addiction in Manitoba," McGuinness said in an emailed statement. "Manitoba continues to take steps to deal with the reduction in anticipated funding from the federal Liberal government and the impact it has in all areas of healthcare, including mental health and addiction." 

A task force the province set up is working to develop the strategy and are expected to report their recommendations to the province in March.