Mayor Gondek ‘urging immediate consultations’ with province on future of Calgary drug-use site

Calgary’s mayor is calling on the city and province to come together to deal with the future of the city’s only supervised drug consumption site.

In a letter penned to Premier Danielle Smith, Mayor Jyoti Gondek is requesting a joint collaboration to explore the future of the Safeworks Outreach site at the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre in Calgary’s Beltline neighbourhood.

The mayor is accusing the province of dragging their heels and says they have not followed through on previous promises. She goes on to say the delay is causing “concern and distress” in her letter to the premier.

Gondek said just as how a joint working group was set up to solve issues with the greenline, she believes the same can be done with the site at the Sheldon Chumir Centre to find a solution.

“We are waiting for the province to do their part and provide a more comprehensive program prior to determining the fate of the supervised consumption at the Sheldon Chumir to properly address the underlying needs of those with addictions,” Gondek said in a social media post, attaching a copy of her letter to it.

Gondek’s letter re-states her side of the argument, saying such a motion would have no standing since the site, like all healthcare locations, is governed by the Alberta government through the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

“The response? We were told our city council should vote on an issue that’s beyond our jurisdiction,” she continued. “Such a motion would have absolutely no standing and is simply politicking, as we lack the jurisdictional authority to direct the UCP government.”

This follows a social media post from Addictions Minister Dan Williams on Wednesday, saying again what he wants to see before the province takes action.

He said he’d work with the city to shut down the site in favour of other recovery options, but only if council passes a motion asking him to do so.

“Instead of abstaining, or looking to bury their head in the sand, and say it’s not their responsibility – it is your responsibility, to give this province feedback,” Williams said.

Gondek acknowledged Williams’ stance in her social media post.

“Given that Minister Williams apparently didn’t read the November 11 Globe and Mail article where the Premier promised consultation, I am now reaching out directly to the Premier, urging immediate consultations,” she said.

Gondek adds that in the months since Smith’s announcement in the Globe and Mail, consultation with the community about the site’s future has yet to be seen.

In her letter, she said the city council was assured in 2022 that nothing would close until “an alternative and more comprehensive program was created,” and asked for updates on the status of those programs.

The site has been open since 2017. Former premier Jason Kenney pledged to close and replace it with two others back in 2021, though this never ended up happening.

“We must expedite our efforts and transition to a better way, an initiative that was outlined more than two years ago,” Gondek said.