By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Mayor to write to province about supervised consumption sites

Sep 21, 2021 | 9:58 PM

Grande Prairie’s Mayor will be reaching out to the province about supervised consumption sites.

The letter from Jackie Clayton will address topics that will include locations, impacts on communities, other ways to address the problem of drugs, and the necessity of these sites.

“Council really wants to set the next council up with information in regards to where these locations are best, what is the other ways besides traditional consumption sites (that) should be considered and the necessity of these services within our city.”

Clayton adds she wants to see what she calls “information that sets the next council up for success” when making decisions on this issue.

“Something that the province expects to see in the long-term. Is it going to be a continuation of a program supported by the province? And, really, some guidelines of some best practices in regards to consumption sites.”

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Last week, a city committee paused a development permit application to have a permanent supervised consumption site near the Wapiti House shelter, something recommended by the province. More than a dozen neighbouring business owners were opposed.

Clayton says the committee did not want this either.

“But in order to be able to provide services that are a necessity in our community currently to support areas such as downtown. No small business owner wants to see needles piled at their back door. You don’t want to see people in alleyways hiding in the shadows, injecting themselves,” she explained.

“So, we want to be able to sit down with the province, work with social services agencies and find some best solutions for this program.”

Also last night, council approved looking into property values in the area of the Wapiti House shelter.

It would look at numbers for the last year, three years, five years, and ten years for properties in a 200-metre radius of the shelter to see what patterns emerge.

The city has received complaints about property values in the area dropping because of the shelter.