Council to talk police budget, Eau Claire fire station
Posted Nov 2, 2020 7:34 am.
Last Updated Nov 2, 2020 11:26 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Calgary City Council has voted to hold a discussion Monday about whether the city should look into reallocating some of the police budget to agencies that can help people experiencing mental health or addiction issues.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi believes it’s a conversation worth having, whether you support the idea or not.
“If there is to be a conversation three weeks or four weeks from now about reallocating some of the police budget, it actually does make sense for some pre-work to be done in terms of what would that reallocation look like.”
Last week, Ward 8 Councillor Evan Woolley said he would be presenting a notice of motion to move five per cent of the $400 million police budget to other services.
He explained the $20 million would help close some gaps when it comes to crisis and outreach services as well as family and community support networks.
“Community safety is a priority for Calgarians and that is going to take sharing of resources to ensure all Calgarians can be safe.”
RELATED: Councillor to propose reallocating portion of Calgary police budget
Chief of the Calgary Police Service Mark Neufeld has shown support for the move so long as it would reduce demand for police, especially on calls where they may not be the best first responders.
Woolley said there are many situations that may be better suited for a response from different professionals as opposed to police officers, and this could improve the situation for all Calgarians in the long run.
“The notice of motion asks administration to go and bring forward options for a reallocation of the police budget to support a range of potential community services,” added Woolley.
While there is a possibility for some more backlash as a result of this, Woolley said he has the support of Mayor Naheed Nenshi as well as two other councillors — Gian-Carlo Carra and George Chahal.
Another item that will be discussed by City Council is whether they should close the Eau Claire Firehall in favour of building one in the northwest community of Livingston.
The Eau Claire fire station is under ten years old and serves around 25,000 residents.
