Clarity needed on provincial mental health, addictions plan before closing supervised consumption site: Calgary mayor

The ball is in the provincial government’s court on Calgary’s supervised consumption site — that’s the message from Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

In a letter to Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams, dated Wednesday, the mayor says the city needs to know what the United Conservative government plans to do on addictions and mental health treatment before decisions are made on the city’s only overdose prevention location at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre.

“Closing the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre supervised consumption site without proper alternatives will immediately force those seeking support on to the streets or into their homes, driving up drug poisoning deaths and creating unsafe situations throughout communities in Calgary,” Gondek wrote. “It will also create further issues, like people using drugs at transit stops because they know officers are there to respond to overdoses.”

Last week, questions began to circle about the future of the Safeworks Supervised Consumption Site following the news a similar facility in Red Deer would be closed by spring, with the help of the province.

Gondek said at that time the services offered at Chumir haven’t “worked as intended.”

She claims the city has been waiting for the province to propose tangible solutions to the city’s mental health and addictions issues since 2022, saying it’s their responsibility, and that the facility on 4 Street and 12 Avenue SW can’t close its doors until that happens.

In a statement made to CityNews in response to Gondek’s comments last week, the province says it’s willing to engage with the city on the future of the site.

Minister Williams has previously said the province has a solution to mental health and addictions — The Alberta Recovery Model.

“The Alberta Recovery Model is our solution to the addiction crisis that has ravaged our families and communities for far too long,” he said. “The status quo solution to sit back and leave people in addiction is not an option. We will continue with a focus on giving people treatment, recovery, and a second lease on life.”

The process to shut down the overdose prevention site in Red Deer began late last year when a councillor put forward a notice of motion asking the province to remove the site and replace it with recovery services.

If successful, the removal of the site in Red Deer would be the first instance of an Alberta town or city completely getting rid of its supervised consumption site.

Councillor tries to accelerate action

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean said last week he would be “more than happy” to bring the supervised consumption site matter forward to council and “ask the province to shut it down.”

The councillor has said he would support closure of the site as it is causing “massive problems.”

He went to Mayor Gondek to ask for a Notice of Motion to be added to Wednesday’s Executive Committee agenda that would consider the matter.

The mayor scolded this move on social media, saying McLean knows the procedure and that it takes a vote of committee, not the mayor, to get last minute items added to the agenda.