Calgarians battling addiction concerns will continue to have a safe, supervised location to consume narcotics in the Beltline following Health Canada’s decision to renew the facility but the future of the site hinges on the results of future reviews.
On Thursday, Health Canada announced that the supervised consumption site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre had been renewed for another 12 months but its exemption will be reviewed in four months’ time.
The planned review is in response to recent concerns included in a Calgary Police Service report regarding crime and social disorder in the area surrounding the health centre.
Health Canada will continue to monitor the site and may conduct inspections. If the conditions outlined regarding the need to address needle debris, public disorder and safety issues within the neighbourhood are not met, the exemption for the supervised consumption site may be revoked.
