Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is annoyed with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about the location of the Sheldon Chumir Safe Consumption Site in the city’s Beltline district.
The site operates under the direction of Alberta Health Services (AHS) as “part of a range of evidence-based services that support prevention, harm reduction and treatment for Albertans living with substance use challenges...providing a place where people can use drugs in a monitored, hygienic environment,” according to the AHS website.
On Thursday, Gondek sent a letter to Smith, referencing a letter from the Alberta Government sent to Calgary city council in 2022 about the site being moved.
“In 2022, your administration committed to transitioning the operations of the Sheldon Chumir site to more suitable locations that would better serve and support our vulnerable populations,” she wrote.
“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.”
“Unfortunately, these promises have not materialized, and the delay is causing significant concern and distress for impacted individuals and communities.”
At the time, the Alberta government said the Chumir site would not be closed or moved before an alternative and updated program was created.
“What is the status of those alternative and more comprehensive programs, offering more than just supervised consumption support?” asked Gondek in her letter.
Last November, the Alberta government announced a plan to consult the community about the future of the site.
“We are still waiting for these promises to turn into action. The time to move forward is now,” wrote Gondek. “We must expedite our efforts and transition to a better way. Every day we delay, the safety and well-being of Calgarians, both residents and visitors to the Beltline and Calgarians that use the site, are increasingly at risk.”
Gondek added it has been suggested that Calgary city council provide a motion, saying it wants to see an alternative program of care.
“Such a motion would have absolutely no standing and is simply politicking, as we lack the jurisdictional authority to direct the UCP government,” she wrote. “We agree that the existing supervised consumption site does not offer the more comprehensive programs that are needed. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions to make the required changes.”
Alberta Mental Health and Addictions Minister, Dan Williams, who has been asking city council to make a decision to close the site and partner with the province to transition to recovery-oriented services, was cc’d on the letter.
“I would like to see a different path forward, not the one that facilitates addiction, one where health care doesn’t harm them but heals those addictions and brings them into recovery,” said Williams in an interview.
“That’s what I'm offering as an olive branch. It seems the city seems to be more interested in positioning for politics. My position has been consistent since I wrote them in October that is what’s on the table from this government.”
Gondek says it’s not only about closing the site.
“Shutting down the site is not what we’re asking for, that will simply lead to lives lost, it will push people out into public spaces and create unsafe environments for those folks who are struggling as well as the people who are in that community, so that's not something we want to do without a replacement model, so that's what we’re looking for right now,” she said in a separate interview.
On X , she added, “This isn't just politics, it's about people's lives and Calgarians feeling safe in the streets of their City. Given that Minister Williams apparently didn’t read the November 11 Globe and Mail article where the Premier promised consultation, I am now reaching out directly to the Premier, urging immediate consultations.”
