Calgary mayor looks to province for decision on supervised consumption site
Calgary's mayor says she's sent a letter to Alberta's minister of mental health and addiction, telling him that the province – not the city – needs to decide the next steps for a supervised consumption site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Centre.
Jyoti Gondek, in an X post, said she was surprised over recent comments Dan Williams made about the site, suggesting that she had to decide about its new location.
In the post, she said Calgarians have been waiting on the province for "alternate solutions" since 2022.
Since the supervised consumption site falls under Williams' portfolio, Gondek said the ball is in his court, not the other way around.
"In the interest of all Calgarians, it is critical to see the province's solution prior to their closure of the supervised consumption site at Sheldon M. Chumir," Gondek wrote.
"Otherwise, people looking for support will be forced to the streets, creating increased community safety issues."
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
On Sept. 27, Williams said the fate of Calgary's supervised consumption site is in the city's hands, saying that his office is willing to work with communities on a plan to close the drug consumption sites.
In her letter sent to Williams' office, Gondek said the province understood that Calgary's supervised consumption site wasn't working in May 2021 and several issues around the facility needed to be addressed.
"I agreed with your assessment, and I still do," she said.
However, Gondek said closing the site without proper guidance from the provincial government will cause more problems.
"There must be a comprehensive plan from the Government of Alberta to deal with mental health and addictions treatment for Calgarians who desperately need supports, and that plan must also address issues of public safety that have been observed with the existing model."
Inside the supervised consumption site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre in Calgary. (file)
A notice of motion has been presented to council Wednesday by Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean for city council to call on the Alberta government to close the site.
It also asks the province to help support additional investments to support people suffering from addiction and mental health challenges.
A supervised consumption site for the city of Calgary was first approved by Health Canada in 2017 and it was established at the Sheldon M. Chumir Centre the following year.
Residents protested the existence of the facility in 2019, saying it created safety concerns in the Beltline.
The province ordered the site to be closed in 2021, with the promise that it would be replaced by two new sites in different locations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. port employers to launch lockout as labour disruption begins
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
'The best that we can be': Indigenous judge and TRC chair Murray Sinclair dies at 73
Murray Sinclair, who was born when Indigenous people did not yet have the right to vote, grew up to become one of the most decorated and influential people to work in Indigenous justice and advocacy.
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
India's Modi, Canada's Trudeau condemn violence at Hindu temple near Toronto
The prime ministers of India and Canada condemned violence that broke out on Sunday at a Hindu temple near Toronto at a time of escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Judge rules against Alberta casino, dinner theatre operator
An application to stay a receivership order of Mayfield Investments Ltd., a company that owns multiple businesses in Alberta including the Camrose Resort and Casino, Medicine Hat Lodge and Calgary's Stage West Dinner Theatre, has been denied by the court.
'Giving women agency over their health': How innovative solutions are filling the gaps in Canadian menopause care
In a 2022 survey conducted by Leger Canada for the Menopause Foundation of Canada, about 46 per cent of women said they don't feel prepared for menopause, even though they know it's coming. At a time when tech-savvy millennials are starting their menopausal journeys, some tech entrepreneurs are stepping up with potential solutions to long-standing health-care deficiencies.
Frustration over Mideast war in America's largest Arab-majority city may push some away from Democrats
As an ongoing part of Omar on the Road: America Decides 2024, CTV National News visited the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus to talk to Arab-American students about why they’re feeling left out of the Democrats’ tent.
Ikea will pay 6 million euros to East German prisoners forced to build their furniture in landmark move
Furniture giant Ikea has agreed to pay 6 million euros (US$6.5 million) towards a government fund compensating victims of forced labour under Germany's communist dictatorship, in a move campaigners hope will pressure other companies to follow.
Police arrest Netanyahu aide as opponents accuse him of leaking intelligence to thwart Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal
Israeli police have arrested a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over allegedly leaking classified information to foreign media.