Beltline residents raise concerns over drug site
Justice minister to meet with residents about Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre
Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley will meet next week with Beltline residents and business representatives who have raised concerns about the supervised drug consumption site at Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre.
Ganley represents CalgaryBuffalo, the riding where the consumption site is located, and is holding the meeting in her role as MLA.
The Safeworks site opened last fall in response to Alberta’s opioid crisis and is credited with responding to more than 200 overdoses.
But it has also prompted some in the neighbourhood to raise issues about intoxicated users, open drug dealing and increased garbage around the site and in nearby Central Memorial Park.
Ganley recently told reporters her office was reaching out to address some of the concerns.
“Ultimately, the evidence indicates this can be done in a safe way,” she said. “The evidence indicates this is something that improves community safety. So it’s just about making sure we implement it in the best way.”
Representatives of Alberta Health Services and the Calgary Police Service have been invited to attend the June 14 meeting.
Those who have raised concerns publicly with the Safeworks site say they recognize the need for the facility, which provides a medically supervised place for users to inject or consume drugs in an attempt to reduce overdose fatalities and the spread of disease, but believe there needs to be better management of the surrounding area.
“I hope that they could clean up their act a little bit over there,” said Cindy Graham, who has been invited to attend the meeting with Ganley.
AHS said there have only been six complaints made about Safeworks’ operations in the half-year it’s been open, with another two complaints raised since Postmedia reported on the issue nearly two weeks ago.
But Jennifer Hawkins, who works in an office close to the site, said it’s a challenge to figure out where to actually lodge a concern.
Hawkins has parked in a lot across the street from the Safeworks site since last summer and said the environment has worsened since the facility opened, deteriorating further since warm weather returned this spring.
“You almost have to walk in the middle of the road to get over to the parking lot and then quite frequently they’re in the parking lot … shooting up,” she said.
“There’s people yelling and fighting. One guy was changing his pants in the parking lot right beside my car door … we’re all just starting to feel really unsafe and we didn’t before.”