Closing SCS is key to a healthier community
By Letter to the Editor on February 12, 2020.
In response to the letter to the editor regarding the health-care workers providing services for the SCS, which noted, “We strive to improve continuously and adopt service delivery towards a healthier community…” and “… most importantly, hear the powerful stories of the clients we serve.”
As a practising registered nurse in the community for the last 30 years, I am thrilled to have heard the announcing of the potential closure of this site. Here is my “powerful story.”
Since the opening of the SCS, the crime rate in Lethbridge is escalating drastically. Utilizing Statistics Canada, Lethbridge is now ranked the 15th most dangerous place nationally, which is increased from 19th last year.
My sons have found bullets in the meighbouring school yard. Children have been lured by strangers, and sustained needle-prick injuries from used needles in school grounds and parks. Criminals have broken into residences and businesses. There has been theft of property, car thefts, assaults with weapons. Drug paraphernalia has been found outside of health-care facilities housing seniors, the vulnerable sector. Children and seniors are being subjected to drug users “high” on the streets. Three drug houses have been busted in my neighbourhood. Three. I do not understand how you view this as a “healthier community.”
Since when has it become morally or ethically acceptable for citizens to be exposed to this unacceptable behaviour, and be victimized by drug-related crimes that we are enabling with an ironically “supervised consumption site” which provides “party packs” of needles to promote the use of illegal street drugs?
It was noted in 2019 the provincial government committed to $140 million towards the drug crisis. Let’s not forget about the cost of health-care dollars to staff the SCS, purchase of needles, the cost of multiple quantities of naloxone, and emergency services. $140 million would be much better utilized for health-care initiatives and increasing hospital beds, health-care services, specialized services, and “party packs” of insulin needles for diabetics who cannot afford their supplies, thus working “collaboratively with valued community partners towards a healthier community.”
Senior citizens of this community have contributed throughout their lives towards a vibrant city. Closing the SCS will promote a “healthier community” and a sense of well-being for many citizens.
In the meantime, welcome to Lethbridge, the city of darkness.
Charlotte George
Lethbridge
12-11
Great letter Charlotte! Maybe that’s what we need is more accomplished professionals like yourself speaking-out about this nightmare in our city. I drive for a living and hear the stories all the time about what goes on around that hellish site and what it spawns in our once nice little city. We can only hope that Kenny defunds it yesterday. Hopefully the powers to be locally pull their Liberal heads out of the sand. Lets not forget which government with their twisted victimhood ideology brought this toxic-clown show to Lethbridge.
I have warned about the third year of an SCS existence for almost a year now. By November this year we will reach 2% of Lethbridge population in addicts. With that comes BIG CITY gang activity. I mentioned that we will see Edmonton/Calgary trying to keep control and Toronto Vancouver trying to muscle in on the city of Lethbridge because its just to lucrative. Of course the “street queen” who insists she feels safe walking Lethbridge downtown at night, the Fedup Conservative who always finds Klein is somehow responsible for everything, and the “NDP” who pat themselves on being humanitarians and have saddled us with this mess, now get a front row seat to the next stage of this NDP organized fiasco!
A big shout out goes to the Mayor and Council for not understanding what they are doing. The past Police Chief who just could not figure out how to deal with 300 addicts so decided to let them fluorish as he left the Province. The speed in which our amazing NDP reps Shannon Phillips, and our past NDP rep Fitzpatrick volunteered Lethbridge for this organized destruction. Of course congratulations has to be given to Bourque and Manning of the SCS for the absolute “best play of Lethbidge’s history”, setting up a facility funded by taxpayer money and knowing it would destroy the area its in. It would be remiss not to mention that its SO successful that Bourque and Manning are now the largest employer in downtown, and raking in the money at the expense of all the Residents of Lethbridge. I am thoroughly surprised City Council has not given them some sort of award for the amazing achievement of “Largest Employer”? Soon expansion will not be an issue because of the numerous empty buildings created by this great piece of “gotta save them” at any cost declaration!
Year 3 as I have pointed out, is the year the big boys start muscling in. I quote
” Information obtained by investigators alleges a verbal dispute surrounding the ilicit drug trade occurred between the victim and the accused, resulting in the victim being fatally shot.”
I also quote, the most important part, which most will gloss over and NOT understand the implications
Dhiblawe has also been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a homicide in Edmonton on February 8, 2020, and is wanted by Edmonton Police Service on a Canada-wide warrant.
So a guy from Toronto goes to Edmonton and kills someone, then comes to Lethbridge and kills some one else?
The Lethbridge person was in a dispute over drugs? Hmmmm maybe his position in the drug trade? Maybe his boss in Edmonton thought he had a position too?
And so, ladies and gents, it begins! Welcome to big city gangs, and big city crime. You have just witnessed Lethbridge’s first “Hitman” we should all be thrilled! We have “arrived to the big leagues”! My guess…we record 6 deaths this year because of the various gangs that think they are the boss and really really really aren’t! This will put Lethbridge guided by Mr. Mayor and his entourage of the clueless, as number 1 on a list they really do not want to address. Meanwhile the people that actually suffer through this stupidity, Lethbridge Police and the Residents of Lethbridge appear to have absolutely no say in this “NDP driven plan” or a say in the “future of Lethbridge”!
https://lethbridgeherald.com/news/lethbridge-news/2020/02/11/police-issue-canada-wide-warrant-in-relation-to-westside-shooting/
Charlotte, please forward your letter to your MLA and the Premier. They need to hear this, not the rhetoric handed them by the mayor and council and staff at the SCS.
Charlotte George I thank you for coming forward and saying what had to be said. Far too many people in this City think because its being done and sanctioned by Professionals, its the right thing to do. There is far to much proof out there to say otherwise, the continual defense of this stupidity has a history of 50 years and the same argument by the Religious Nutbars in Society or the economically driven is used Day in Day out to try to subdue any rational thinking. It becomes the “killers vs saving lives” argument over and over again, the louder they shout “saving lives”, the more money politicians throw at it and, if they don’t have enough money, the politician then is a killer.
Well said Charlotte George . . . Well said! My great grandfather was James Sheran, senior, who came to Lethbridge in 1880’s to run the mine after Nick Sheran drowned. My other grandfather was one of the first horse drawn ambulance drivers and part of the original members of the original 25th artillery in this city.
Like many whose relatives helped build this city, we stand dismayed! Our relatives are rolling in their graves wondering how, in just 5 years, we could destroy this city’s reputation internationally, and allow a small group to take over and run rampid in this city, with very little being done!
The feds, the province, and our Council are all to blame! There are laws that could have been put in place, bylaws for that matter, but there was a failure on all levels!
Our Council and Chief Davis failed us miserably, and failed to listen to the pleas of it’s citizens and especially the business owners.
Many of those on Council still will not acknowledge they made a mistake, but still stand firm saying the SCS is good for the community! Over 80% of the clientele are FN . . . are they going to come back on us and accuse us of genocide for slowly killing all their people at the SCS!
Here is a question . . . if these addicted people were all caucasions, would be allowing them to slowly kill themselves and turn their brains into Swiss Cheese, sell their bodies on the streets to pay for their drugs, etc., . . . or would we be putting the $5.3 million paid in wages to the SCS annually into treatment for them! I didn’t want to open that door, but it has to be said! Our city has been pumping millions into FN supports and ripple effects, making decisions that are for small special interest groups, instead for the citizens as a whole, ignoring citizen concerns.
Bottom line . . . we need a major change of Council, including the Mayor . . . it appears there are only 3-4 members that are making any reasonable decisions for the citizens as a whole!
We need an election!!!