A packed Lethbridge council chambers Monday afternoon

By Lara Fominoff - Lethbridge News Now

Motion to limit SCS funding and needle distribution defeated as protesters supporting and rejecting resolution pack council chambers

Aug 20, 2019 | 8:16 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Monday afternoon began at Lethbridge City Hall with hundreds if not more than a thousand or so members of the public – many carrying signs – either supporting Lethbridge’s Supervised Consumption Site, or firmly against it. It ended with the defeat of a highly anticipated resolution to call on the provincial government to direct ARCHES to stop needle distribution outside of its facility and to temporarily halt funding for supervised consumption (not referral or other services) at the SCS location on 1 Ave. S. pending the outsome of a provincial review.

The larger rally, organized by the newly formed Lethbridge Citizen’s Alliance, saw local business owners, those impacted directly by crime, former addicts and many others carrying signs reading “stop enabling addiction start enabling recovery,” “stop supporting the drug trade,” and “shut down the drug house.”

Hundreds attended the Lethbridge Citizen’s Alliance Rally

Tressa was one of those protesters. She is 35 years sober, and said if the supervised consumption site was in operation when she was 17, she would have been dead.

“I became a junkie when I was 17 in Vancouver and and I came back here for rehabilitation. So the detox in Fort Macleod, I was their first heroin addict and I was there for five weeks. Normally it’s a week. When I came back (to Lethbridge) and I saw that safe consumption site it broke my heart. It breaks my heart because these people can be helped, and all they’re doing is enabling them to kill themselves.”

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However, Lethbridge mom of seven, Sandy, who was rallying in favour of keeping the SCS open, had a very different experience and point of view.

“I’ve had two sons die from opioid overdoses. One in 2011 and one in 2017. Unfortunately, it was before the SCS was here. If that was here then, my children would be alive. These are people. They’re somebody’s children. Somebody’s parents. Somebody’s brother, sister, whatever. Treat them with respect.”

As the LCA congregated around the steps of City Hall, several speeches from business owners and community members got underway.

“We do not support the drug consumption site that was placed in our city without thought for the terrible consequences that have followed, including increased crime, drug trafficking and prostitution. Not to mention the heavy toll on our police services here in the city,” said LCA spokesperson and business owner Lou Mate. “This site needs to be closed or moved to a suitable location that would also house a treatment facility. We need to do this for our children.”

While both rallies were boisterous with chants of “close it down, close it down,” coming from the LCA and its supporters, and horns honking and cheering in support of the SCS, there didn’t appear to be any serious altercations while Lethbridge Police officers kept the groups separated by barriers.

That police presence extended inside Lethbridge City Hall, with City Manger Bramwell Strain explaining to those in the gallery that there had been threats made on social media, so officials felt it prudent to hire an additional security team, add community peace and LPS officers. Media credentials were checked, while members of the public were scanned for any potential weapons or devices that could present a danger.

All members of the public were scanned for any potential weapons

Near the beginning of the council meeting, which was remotely attended by councillor Ryan Parker, Mayor Chris Spearman explained the rules of decorum to be followed in council chambers. If there were more than two interruptions, he said, the gallery would be cleared. Immediately someone snickered, and the mayor cautioned him “that’s number one.”

Chamber of Commerce Presentation

One of the first presentations came from Lethbridge’s Chamber of Commerce. Executive Officer Cyndi Vos likened the city’s current situation to a chair with only one leg.

“It’s something to visualize. When you think of a chair with one leg it takes a wizard to be able manipulate a chair with one leg. So, when you think of the other three legs that we need; we need intox, we need detox, we need housing, then you have that. So you’re firmly putting someone on a chair that can be stable. We’re asking people to be stable on a one-legged chair when they’re probably at their most unstable times of their live. So, to me, it just ties it together well.”

Vos said some businesses have experienced an increase in theft, loitering, vandalism, destruction of property, lack of of traffic to businesses, sales going down and the “feelings of being safe.”

“There’s just that unknown of, how do we work with people that are intoxicated and need help? That’s why we need the other three legs so that those pressures are taken off of employers.”

She says the Chamber has met with members of cabinet and other MLAs.

Three Motions

Prior to the most contentious and anticipated motion of the afternoon, council also voted on three others. Two, including requesting a Safety Communities and Neighborhoods office to be located in Lethbridge, and adding an information contact sheet for residents to report drug and crime related issues on the city’s website, were approved unanimously. The third – establishing an illicit drug use task force was approved by a 6-2 vote.

A motion made by councillor Mark Campbell to postpone voting on councillor Blaine Hyggen’s resolution to Dec. 9 pending the results of a report, was defeated unanimously.

Motion to Restrict Needles Leaving Supervised Consumption Site and Temporarily Halt Funding for Consumption Services Defeated

Just prior to Councillor Blaine Hyggen introducing his motion backed by Councillors Ryan Parker and Joe Mauro, he questioned the information and statistics released in the ARCHES Report to Mayor and Council dated Aug. 12.

As he addressed the room, Hyggen said “we’re number one because our crime statistics are number one. This is appalling to me. I love Lethbridge. I choose it to be my home, I choose it for where I raise my family. I choose it where I do business. I want it to be a safe, fear-free, low crime community. I don’t want us to be number one. I don’t want us to be on national and international news because we have the highest crime rate. We’re number one. We have the busiest drug consumption site in North America. Again, I don’t want us to be number one.”

He then described drug use and dealing occurring outside of the SCS, needle distribution, and recent videos posted on social media showing apparent public drug use. He told the gallery he was opposed to enabling addicts to consume illicit drugs. Councillor Ryan Parker, attending the meeting remotely, was also given an opportunity to speak.

The conversation became terse and tense as Mayor Chris Spearman challenged Hyggen on some of his comments to media and their context.

“Councillor Hyggen makes a number of statements and doesn’t provide the specific sources. He attacks the supervised consumption site, and we don’t know the source of his allegations. And I can quickly point out a series of things that just don’t make sense and are completely false, which he has said to the media.

“I’m saying you have cried wolf too many times, councillor Hyggen.”

“It’s not a mayor versus councillor Hyggen,” said Councillor Joe Mauro.

“I don’t know why Councillor Mauro is interrupting me,” said Spearman.

At one point, Councillor Rob MIyashiro also asked whether it was ok for the most marginalized citizens in the community to die, while Councillor Jeff Carlson wondered whether the resolution still had teeth considering the provincial government had announced a review of all supervised consumption sites in the province anyway.

Councillor Jeffrey Coffman wondered openly why southern Alberta and in particular Lethbridge attracted so many addicts so disproportionately to other jurisdictions, and Councillor Belinda Crowson said she was willing to move forwards, but to vote in favour of the resolution would be moving backwards.

The motion was ultimately defeated 6-3 with Councillors Hyggen, Mauro and Parker voting in favour of it, and Councillors Miyashiro, Coffman, Carlson, Campbell, Crowson and the mayor voting against it.

Reaction From SCS Executive Director Stacey Bourque

Bourque, who also attended the meeting along with Director of Operations Jill Manning, said she was not surprised by the outcome of the vote.

“We’re happy that council made the right decision to defeat the motion today. We know that in and of itself that particular motion wouldn’t have done anything to address the health and safety concerns that people, some people in the community have, or to address the issues our vulnerable people are facing who access services at ARCHES…We encourage anyone who has concerns about our facilities to reach out.”

She says she’s hopeful the provincial government will work to address the gaps in the continuum of care so there’s somewhere to move people along to wellness.

“We have a number of issues in our community. I think that we have lacked and continue to lack a lot of the really important services that we need to address growing substance use in our community.”

Moving Forward

Hyggen, while disappointed with the result of the vote, told reporters he wants to move forward.

“It stems back a year ago where there was some frustration throughout the community and bringing that motion forward it was very tight at that time (defeated 5-4). It’s a different government now and I thought with the different research and stuff that’s been coming in to council that maybe there would be another look at it, and so I thought I’d bring that forward.”

He thanked community members who supported him and acknowledged frustration he’s experienced as a business owner with break-ins and thefts that he and others haven’t experienced before

“We need to focus on the next issue. We can’t sit and be divisive on it. We need to stop the slandering and slamming of one another….I think it’s important to come together as a team.”

Mayor Chris Spearman acknowledged the acrimony between members of council at times, but also said Lethbridge is somewhat of a “forgotten city” amongst larger cities that generally get more funding and resources.

“It’s impacted Lethbridge more than any other city. Our drug usage is far higher. But we’ve had drug addictions for many years because of poverty, because of homelessness it’s affected our city more than most…The challenge for the province is – are they going to put the resources into this? How do they help us turn this around?”

City Council is also hoping to get additional public input in a town hall style meeting. According to city administration, it could take place at the Enmax Centre during the second week of October at the earliest. A budget and more details are expected at future council meetings.