Future of Calgarys supervised consumption site to be decided by city council vote [Video]

The future of the supervised consumption site at the Sheldon Chumir Centre in Calgary’s beltline could be decided this week.

City council is expected to vote Wednesday on a motion put forward by Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean to ask the Alberta government to close the site and invest in other prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery supports for people experiencing addictions and mental health challenges.

The site has been a magnet for concerns about crime and safety in downtown Calgary since it opened in 2019.

But as the weekly council meeting began on Tuesday (Oct. 29), about 40 supporters of the facility rallied outside city hall to show their opposition to the closure.

“A lot of research supports the benefits of these sites,” addictions medical specialist Dr. Kate Colizza said. “But unfortunately the site has become an easy scapegoat for a lot of other problems.”

“We hear the concerns about safety and social disorder in downtown Calgary, and in locations across the country,” Colizza added. “But …