A Calgary man wants to convert his home in Windsor Park into a drug treatment centre but some of his neighbours are against the idea.
At one time, fentanyl was the only thing Vedran Cankovic cared about. The 26-year-old was caught in the downward spiral of addiction with little hope for recovery until he was admitted to a rehab centre.
“The way I got clean was I was integrated into a community where a treatment centre was located in a residential area, houses on both sides, green space across, and that community welcomed me with open arms and they were there to support me, they didn’t hide their kids when I walked down the street,” he said.
Now he is a family man with a good job and a nice home in Windsor Park, and he wants to give back by helping people who are going through what he experienced.
“I believe that every bed available is a way to save someone’s life. I know people run on fear and they don’t like change, but they have to realize that these people, I could compare them to someone who is sick with cancer,” he said. “With this treatment centre here, this will both lower the crime rate and help addicts in the area.”
Turning his home into a treatment centre would help six to eight people at a time with a nurse, a psychologist and security on site. Cankovic isn’t sure if a detox centre would be included in the plan, so clients would have to be clean for 48 hours before they can enter the house.
But some of Cankovic’s neighbours are not impressed with the plan. A hand-delivered anonymous letter was circulated around the neighbourhood stating that having an addiction treatment centre in the area across from a school will devalue properties and invite potentially dangerous individuals to the area. Calls have also come in to area councilor Brian Pincott.
“The concerns are based on stigma that is not warranted, that's the thing we need to get past,” he said.
There is an application before the city's planning department to rezone the home. A public engagement session will be held to discuss plans for the site at the Windsor Park community hall on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
