A task force has been formed to try to tackle addiction, homelessness and crime in Calgary.
The Calgary Public Safety and Community Response Task Force was launched at a news conference Friday and will be led by Community and Social Services Minister Jeremy Nixon.
Task force members include cabinet members, city councillors, City of Calgary staff, Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld, the Calgary Fire Department, Indigenous representatives and community partners. City councilors include Andre Chabot and Sonya Sharp.
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Task force launched to address Edmonton’s social issues, addictions, homelessness
Municipal Affairs Minister Rebecca Schulz said Mayor Jyoti Gondek is aware of the task force, but will not currently be a member. However, Schulz said the task force will invite Gondek for consultation and input in the future.
On Thursday, based on a newspaper column, Gondek was asked if she had heard about the upcoming task force. She said she had not read the column, but said sometimes discussions between municipal and provincial governments must remain confidential for a time before they are made public.
She also said she had not recently been in conversation with Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi.
“The past few days have been full of meetings for our council and that’s what I’ve been focusing on: Calgary-related items,” said Calgary’s mayor.
In a news release Friday morning, the government said the task force aims to address social issues through a series of initiatives in Calgary as part of a $187 million commitment to address addiction and homelessness in Alberta’s urban centres. Nearly $58 million of that funding will be used to directly address addiction and homelessness in the city, the release said.
The government said this is in addition to the $73 million in funding for shelter spaces in Calgary and other housing supports. Almost $10 million has already been used to increase access to addiction treatment.
Gondek noted that she has not received an update from the province on previously promised money to address homelessness.
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“We are still eager to understand how the money will be distributed from the October pledge of more investment in solving homelessness, addressing poverty, mental health and addictions,” Calgary’s mayor said Thursday. “I remain optimistic that our provincial government will soon make some sort of announcement.”
Mental Health and Addiction Minister Nicholas Milliken said addiction affects all Calgarians and the government must act on the “most pressing” social issue in the province.
“We’re going to continue to build a system of mental health care that’s focused on prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery,” Milliken told reporters Friday.
Nixon said he commends the City of Calgary and non-profit organizations for their work on the front lines of dealing with addiction and homelessness in the city.
He also said addictions and homelessness were “top of mind” for the United Conservative government, but acknowledged they were complex issues. Nixon spent most of his career working in the non-profit sector before entering politics, working at organizations such as The Mustard Seed in Calgary.
“By working with our partners in Calgary, I am confident that we will see positive impacts on the entire community,” said Nixon.
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“The collaborative steps we are taking through this task force will help many individuals recover from addiction, find housing support and get their lives back.”
However, neither Milliken nor Nixon provided specific solutions for transportation safety and addiction treatment at Friday’s news conference, instead referring to other ministers’ portfolios.
Milliken said the province is considering “all options” for drug and alcohol addiction treatment, but stopped short of saying whether or not the government is considering legislation to allow intoxicated people into involuntary treatment if they are detained by police or social agencies.
Milliken also said the government will track the success of the task force using detailed data and records.
“We don’t really have a good mechanism to ensure that the person gets the help they need and want, so we’re looking at all options to see if we can figure out how best to help those individuals and get them to help save. lives,” he said.
“We want to try to get data like personal health numbers and other things of that nature. We will not refuse services to people who do not provide them, but we can follow individuals with whom we have interacted and ensure that they are progressing through their recovery.”
Earlier this week, the province announced a similar task force for Edmonton, with similar membership.
-with files from Adam Toy, Global News
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