The city council does not make an official decision to close a supervised consumption site

The decision to close a supervised consumption site (SCS) in the Calgary Beltline is once again up to the Government of Alberta.

Council voted to replace a motion supporting the province to close the facility with another motion for the mayor to write to the province asking it to make an informed decision about the future of the facility. The latter motion was subsequently rejected by a majority of 5 to 9 votes against.

The decision, which came after about an hour of debate, essentially means the city council is not taking an official position on closing SCS in the Beltline.

“We care about saving lives, we care about the community. All these things are important to us. This is not in our jurisdiction,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

“If (the province) feels that its processes can be better, that it can do it differently – it can have full support and detox facilities – we would be happy to support that,” she said

SCS in Calgary opened exactly seven years ago, first as a temporary program at the Sheldon Chumir Centre.

While health care is essentially a provincial responsibility, Alberta’s addictions minister has asked councilors to make the decision.

“It is important that the entire City Council, not just the Mayor, decide by vote whether the Council wants to close the Sheldon Chumir facility,” reads Dan Williams’ letter to the mayor earlier this month.

“It is clear that Calgarians do not support new drug sites across the city, nor is it in the best interests of the community to do so,” the addictions minister wrote.

Ward 8 councilor Courtney Walcott, who represents the area where SCS operates, said it should not be the council’s responsibility to develop a plan for possible future locations.

“They tell us to stay in our lane at all times. “I will respond with equal force: if they want to make health decisions, make them,” Walcott said.

“The council is unable to make health decisions without adequate information.”