Wasting more money won’t solve the city drug crisis

Editor:

Re: Drug Addictions panel seeking solutions at SACPA session, Lethbridge Herald May 17th.

At this forum we heard from numerous people connected in various ways to what many in this community judge to be a crisis.

Evidence of this is hard to deny. A month ago Sgt Ryan Darroch of LPS, confirmed this stating “we still have the highest crime index in the country, based on our population.”

In another article same day -“We want to hear your stories on crime in the city” Our Herald appealed for citizens “to be heard.”

“We want to hear your stories, we want to hear your frustrations, your anger, your fears” “we can’t let criminals take over our communities.”

Alvin Mills, a hero in this matter in the minds of many, spoke at this forum of successes at “his Indigenous recovery camps outside of Lethbridge” later stating that “despite the success of various programs” “…the opioid crisis is at the worst it’s ever been.”

This city has been ravaged like few have relative to population . The inner core is nearly uninhabitable - at the least it’s not a safe, or smart place to be - crime stats Sgt Darroch speaks of serve as evidence.

This SACPA event saw a call-out for more “funding and support” – a call for we citizens to pony up more millions for more housing.

Robin James of the Lethbridge Housing Authority, despite all the money that’s been thrown around accommodating the addicted, asks once more that taxpayers fund more “responsible housing focused on current gaps in our housing continuum.”

I presume it’s James’ job to keep “asking” for more and more housing, despite evidence abounding that “more housing” will never solve, or even begin to solve the crisis, much of it which began in the womb. There’s been tens of billions of dollars spent on housing, free drugs, clothes, crisis consulting, and what have you, and the crisis as Mills states is “….the worst it’s ever been.”

My wife and I moved to Lethbridge in 2013.

We chose Lethbridge for many reasons an excellent road system, a relatively crime free city (then), a beautiful place with more green spaces than anywhere we’ve been, great people, and a wonderful historic downtown whose merchants we supported regularly and so on.

That downtown I knew is gone!

Chelsey DeGroot, program manager for a drug treatment court spoke.

DeGroot was employed by taxpayers at the former drug user, abuser clubhouse, know as the supervised consumption site, the SCS, claiming it a success “despite popular opinion.”

“Did it ruin our community? No it didn’t.” Shannon Phillips, incumbent MLA for Lethbridge West, would agree with DeGroot. Phillips stood beaming on the opening of the SCS declaring that facility, (costing taxpayers of this province tens of millions) was a historic day for Lethbridge.

All these years later I’m hopeful that by the end of the month of May, there’s another “historic day for Lethbridge,” and we’re rid of the architects of a history most taxpayers want no part of.

Then (maybe) citizens can once again enjoy their coffee and chats at Penny without stepping in, or being part of something objectionable, they didn’t want to bring home.

A.W. Shier

Lethbridge