A new 72-hour detention centre for highly intoxicated people is expected to open in less than three weeks, barring any legislative hiccups.

Manitoba Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith said the NDP hopes to open the “protective care centre” or detox facility, capable of holding people for up to three days, on Nov. 1.

“We’ve heard from Manitobans that they want to make sure that … people that are at a risk of safety to themselves and the safety to others … are brought to somewhere that they can get the supports that they need,” Smith said Wednesday after question period at the legislature.