New East Village Safety Hub offers a workspace for police, social agencies
Calgary now has a second safety hub, this one located in the East Village.
The new East Village Safety Hub will be a more casual setting for Calgary Police Services (CPS) officers to complete office work, take meetings, or take a break – instead of driving out of the area to the District 1 station located in Ramsay.
The hub is a three-year pilot program in partnership with the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), the City of Calgary, CPS and the Alpha House Society’s Downtown Outreach Addictions Partnership (DOAP) program, and is located in the lowest level of the CMLC's head office in the remodelled St. Louis Hotel.
"As the community grows and evolves, so too does the nature of the needs of the community," said Kate Thompson, CMLC president and CEO during a launch event on Thursday morning.
The pilot has a shared cost of $300,000 split between the City of Calgary and CMLC.
Calgary Bylaw officers and members of the DOAP team will also use the space as part of a multi-agency approach to address social disorder.
"When we think about the complexity of the social issues that we're responding to in the community, I think this collaboration requires all of these partners to ensure better outcomes for the folks that we see," said Kathy Christiansen, executive director for the Alpha House Society.
She says a shared working space allows the frontline services to share contextual information about a person in-need.
SUPPORTIVE SPACE
The hub isn't designed to be a full police station or processing centre -- instead of barred holding cells there's a kitchenette with comfy couches, computer stations, a boardroom for meetings and even bicycle storage for CPS officers.
"It's not like an open-front counter-type facility, but rather a gathering space where we can work on planning and working with community," said CPS Deputy Chief Chad Tawfic.
Tawfic says establishing a police presence in the East Village improves the visibility of uniformed officers and helps reduce response wait times.
"Being right in the heart of the situation helps for response times and to be able to respond to emerging events," he said.
The East Village location has been modelled after the Stephen Avenue Safety Hub, which opened in 2021.
This centre has an annual budget of $315,000 and is funded through the City's Downtown Community Safety Initiatives Fund.
Councillor Terry Wong, whose Ward 7 area encompasses both safety hubs, says there are ongoing discussions between council and the Calgary Police Commission about a permanent police location added in the core.
"What's most important though is visibility. We want to be able to see our public safety and public support resources in the downtown care, so people feel confident," he said.
Gregory John lives in the East Village and says he likes the hub's emphasis on including social agencies in responses.
"I support the cooperation between social services, the Calgary police and the community to create a community-based solution that works for everyone," said John.
Others who work in the area question the focus on select neighbourhoods.
"I can't help but think that it has to do with protecting the affluence or veneer of East Village, and these new communities and the tourist attractions," said Ross Macdonell.
The East Village Safety hub will operate 24/7.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.