The war of letters and videos continues in the Sheldon Chumir supervised consumption site (SCS) saga, with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek now penning a letter to the Premier calling for a working group on the issue.
The letter, dated March 27, comes a day after Alberta Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams posted a video in response to questions posed to the province on a lack of contact with the City of Calgary since their last letter was sent. That City letter came after a letter from the minister asking for Calgary to make a decision on the controversial site.
In Williams’s video, he said that they don’t want further “drug overdose sites” in Calgary.
“I believe that not only is recovery possible, but it’s probable, when you build the pathways of care, to get Albertans off the street, out of addiction, out of a life of crime, out of living in encampments intermittently in minus 40 weather, subject to drug cartels and the rules that they have in these lawless drug dens called encampments, and get them into recovery,” Minister Williams said in the video.
In Mayor Gondek’s letter, she was critical of the Alberta government for not following through on a 2022 promise to transition the SCS operations at the Sheldon Chumir to a more suitable site.
“This commitment included enhancing resources to address the complex needs related to addiction and mental health, so that Calgarians in need could access more than just supervised consumption services,” the mayor wrote.
“Unfortunately, these promises have not materialized, and the delay is causing significant concern and distress for impacted individuals and communities.”
The Sheldon Chumir site has been an ongoing source of community concern, a policing concern and for many, a safety concern. In 2022, both the Drop In Centre and Alpha House were in talks with the province to house supervised consumption sites.
Recovery-oriented care is the focus: Minister Williams
Minister Williams said the province continues its commitment to providing recovery focused care in Alberta, including Calgary.
“What’s not on the table, as far as I’m concerned, are more drug and overdose sites across the city,” Williams said.
In February, the province announced a 150-bed, $90 million drug-addiction treatment centre coming for Calgary. At that time, Premier Smith said that they didn’t want to go down the path of creating policies that tolerate or facilitate addiction.
“There is no compassion in leaving people to suffer in the throes of addiction,” Premier Smith told reporters back in February.
“We will not sacrifice our communities or give up on those suffering from addiction.”
Mayor Gondek told LWC that she’s thankful for the provincial investments made into drug-addiction care, but they’re still nearly four years away.
“You’ve got to look at the reality of the situation, that when someone is in a crisis and they are on the street, they are using and then they find themselves overdosing, that person needs to go somewhere,” she told LWC.
“The police and the response teams need to be able to take them somewhere, and that was the kind of improved, more comprehensive care that we were promised back in 2022.”
The mayor said that saving people’s lives and having safe communities shouldn’t be a political football, and she’s not treating this like a game.
“From the day they said, we need to do something different. We have been here as good partners at the city, saying we agree with you. We’re just waiting for what that solution is,” she said.
“I mean, quite frankly, mental health and addiction is not the jurisdiction of the city. We simply do not have the resources to do that work.”
The mayor’s letter formally requests the creation of a working group with both city and provincial representatives. She wants the group to help implement the “long-promised solutions” and ensure the transition happens smoothly.
The Premier’s office was contacted for comment on the letter. They have not yet acknowledged LWC’s request. The story will be updated if one is provided.
