Calgary’s supervised consumption site at the Sheldon Chumir Centre will be closing in 2026.
The province’s UCP government stated its intentions to close the centre in 2021, and now officials with the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction are following through with the plan.
The location for the centre has been contentious since it opened in 2017, with residents and businesses in the area complaining that it contributed to social disorder in the area.
Harm reduction advocates have expressed concerns, saying it serves as a safe space for people to use drugs under medical supervision. They argue getting rid of it could lead to more open drug use and overdose deaths.
Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean said he welcomes the decision to shut the centre down. “I think all the residents, the businesses that operate in and around Chumir are happy to see it replaced and removed from that location.
However, harm reduction advocate Danielle English says, “it’s going to increase substance use all over because when you take away a space to use safely, the whole city becomes a space for use.”
Mayor Jeromy Farkas says he hasn’t received any formal notice on the future of operations at Sheldon Chumir’s supervised consumption site, but he fully expects to be involved in what the transition of services would look like in the city.
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Reacting to an inquiry from Global News, the office of Nathaniel Dick, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, confirmed the government’s plans to close the centre in a statement that said:
“Our government believes that anyone struggling with addiction deserves the opportunity to seek treatment and live a healthy and hopeful life. We also believe that Albertans should feel safe where they live and work, and businesses should be able to operate without disturbance from social disorder.
We are moving to close the Calgary drug consumption site located in the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre in 2026, and in partnership with municipal partners and agencies, transition to provide more treatment and recovery services, as we have done previously in other sites such as in Red Deer and the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.
As we have done previously in other sites such as in Red Deer and the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, we will prioritize services to assist people seeking treatment.”
The government says further details will be made public early in the new year.
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