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Calgary is one of the cities Saskatoon is looking to as it plans for Saskatchewan’s first safe injection site.
Alberta’s first safe injection site opened in the fall of 2016 in Calgary at the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre. The health centre is located in the city’s Beltline area on the southern edge of the downtown core.
The Calgary Police Service released a report in January showing crime and disorder in and around the facility increased since the site opened.
Since then, Insp. Rob Davidson said police have made an effort to manage the criminal activity through extra enforcement and work with local agencies.
As commander for the district around the safe injection site, Davidson said he believes those efforts are starting to show positive results.
A first quarter report looking at calls within a 250-metre radius around the facility showed increases in disorder calls, break-ins and drug-related incidents. However the report revealed calls were trending down month-to-month.
“When we really started to increase police presence in February and March, we really started to see a change,” Davidson said. “A lot more officer-generated calls for service, much more proactive police work in the area.”
Davidson estimated 1,000 man-hours have been reallocated to the area, equating to $80,000 per month.
He said maintaining those resource levels is difficult for the police service.
“Sustainability is a major concern for us.”
A safe injection site for Saskatoon has been proposed on 20th Street near St. Paul’s Hospital, an area that already sees a large amount of the city’s drug-related crime, according to Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper.
As officials continue to weigh the Saskatoon proposal, Davidson said Calgary’s example should serve as a warning not to rush the process.
“That if a site is located, it’s really in an area that’s having the greatest impact on community, so you’re moving into an area to hopefully do some problem-solving,” Davidson said. “And when the doors are open to look at proactive work in and around that area. Not just police, but outreach teams.”
Cooper said his biggest takeaways from the Calgary report were the need for extra police resources and having a clear safety plan for the site and the area surrounding it.
