Recovery centre shouldn’t be in the city

By Letter to the Editor on August 18, 2021.

Editor:
Re: foisting a substance use and recovery service onto the citizenry with minimal consultation:
Given the broad issues and social and criminal impacts from the previous supervised consumption site, there are grave concerns throughout the citizenry that council wishes to continue with this bylaw, as is, without fulsome discussion.
A member of city council can move to amend the bylaw to strike 5(i) Substance Use and Recovery Services (provincially and/or federally regulated), defined as:
A development providing provincially and/or federally approved medical services which may include services such as an overdose prevention site, medical detox programs, and withdrawal management facilities. This use is regulated by the provincial and/or federal government.
However, given the observed behaviour of the mayor and several members of city council, they can easily defeat such an amendment, and thereby foist a substance use and recovery services operator onto the citizenry.
Should mayor and council proceed with Bylaw 6276 without striking 5(i), the mayor and council will be seen as sabotaging all the efforts of citizens to have a wide range of social, economic, and criminal concerns addressed so that the city is safe for everyone.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1) Use Bylaw 6276 to set up a separate facility on this rezoned land for the Alberta Health Service (AHS) mobile health unit to operate from.
This ensures that this service remains as a medical outreach and support service, operated by the province, with the pre-requisite medical staff, oversight, and reporting.
Additionally this option enables AHS to have a building which provides more space, and safer space, for their health services.
2) Enable Alpha House to undertake its renovations to offer more comprehensive 24/7 shelter and stabilization support services. The City should remind the province to provide the funding the Province committed to Alpha House.
3) City to strike section 5(1) from Bylaw 6276. This enables Alpha House and other community support services providers the time to fully build out their services and find effective ways to work together to address the needs of a diverse population of individuals and families.
4) Grass roots community services strategy: At some time in the future the City, community organizations and citizens can undertake a gap analysis to identify any new supports that may be needed to help vulnerable individuals and families have safer, more secure futures.
This strategy ensures that any new supports are well considered with ample time for research and public engagement.
Don’t add to the crime rate on the northside by piling up yet more “services” that draw the kind of people responsible for the crime rate.
A detox recovery center is needed – but out of town – away from citizens and business and away from temptation.
Enough.
Susan Lillemo
Lethbridge