Calgary city council has now twice refused to support the Alberta government's proposal to shut down the supervised consumption site (SCS) at the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre. Instead, council members are insisting on clear details about what services would replace this critical facility before any closure proceeds.
Unanswered Questions Create Community Uncertainty
This hesitation from council should not be interpreted as unanimous support for supervised consumption services. Rather, it reflects a fundamental concern shared by healthcare providers, community residents, and local businesses alike: what happens next? If the Sheldon Chumir site closes, where will people go for essential help and support? And where will substance use relocate—to transit stations, alleyways, parks, and neighborhoods already grappling with visible disorder?
Municipalities Left Holding the Bag
We know from experience that when provincial services are withdrawn without clear alternatives, municipalities are left to manage the consequences—often without the necessary authority or resources to do so effectively. This creates a dangerous gap in services that puts vulnerable populations at increased risk.
The Measurable Impact of Supervised Consumption
Supervised consumption services do not create addiction. They respond to it. Their purpose is not to normalize drug use, but to reduce its most catastrophic outcomes: fatal overdose, untreated medical emergencies, and public drug use occurring in unsafe, unsupervised spaces. At Sheldon Chumir, thousands of overdoses have been reversed. Thousands of lives have been saved.
These outcomes are not theoretical—they are documented and measurable. To dismiss these sites as a failed "experiment" ignores both local evidence and decades of international research supporting their effectiveness in harm reduction.
The Recovery Journey Requires Multiple Supports
The provincial government has emphasized recovery-oriented care, and that focus is essential. But recovery is not a single moment or policy lever. For many people, it is a long, non-linear process requiring support while they are using substances, while they are in treatment, during recovery, and sometimes after relapse. The suggestion by an ex-minister of addictions and mental health that the risk of overdose or death should serve as an incentive for recovery is neither evidence-based nor ethical.
Death and abandonment should never be weaponized as policy tools.
Addressing Community Concerns Realistically
Concerns about visible drug use, psychosis, and disorder in Calgary's downtown are real and should not be minimized. But closing the Sheldon Chumir site will not resolve them. Substance use will continue regardless of whether the site exists. The difference is whether it occurs in a supervised medical environment or in public spaces with no capacity to intervene.
Frontline Workers Witness the Consequences
Frontline workers—from police officers to paramedics to social workers—consistently report that those most harmed by service withdrawal are the most vulnerable members of our community. They also document that emergency pressures increase significantly when harm-reduction supports disappear, creating additional strain on already overburdened systems.
The ongoing debate about the Sheldon Chumir site highlights the complex intersection of public health, community safety, and evidence-based policy. Without a comprehensive replacement plan, closing this facility risks abandoning people who need help while potentially exacerbating the very problems critics seek to address.
