Council must show leadership on supervised consumption site
By Letter to the Editor on September 26, 2018.
This letter is in reference to the proposed supervised consumption site. I have been dismayed, saddened and appalled by the apparent lack of interest and support by most current members of city council, as was obvious by the lack of attendance at the recent community barbecue hosted by HIV Community Link. The goal of the supervised consumption site is to save lives and to connect users to vital community services, as well as to offer a safe, non-judgmental place to go for support and counselling. The clients of the existing HIV Community Link and the proposed supervised consumption site may not be leading the ideal lives that we would all wish for our loved ones, but by no means are they worthless folk to be ignored and kept “out of sight, out of mind.” They are our sons, daughters, perhaps a parent, and maybe a beloved friend who has fallen into the abyss of addiction. Their lives are not disposable and they have family and friends in this community who love them, but are at a loss as to how to help them. The NIMBY segment of our community has been very vocal, but you need to be aware that there are also a large number of people who are supportive of this initiative. I have recently heard that there may have been as many as six people in Medicine Hat who died of drug overdoses in a 10-day period. This is a huge number for any city, however for a community this size it is appalling! Chances are that a supervised consumption site would have saved some of these vulnerable people, giving them a better chance of survival and a doorway into potential recovery. The funding of a supervised consumption site is a joint federal/provincial (AHS) initiative and should be supported by our municipal government rather than obstructed. Studies show that the correct location of a supervised consumption site is vital for its success and needs to be within one kilometre of the usual haunts of the clients. Obviously in Medicine Hat that means in the downtown area. The site will not be drawing more addicts to the area, they are already there. Let’s draw them out of the parks, alleys and cafe bathrooms into a safe, secure and supervised location. Everyone will benefit. You serve on city council to represent all citizens of Medicine Hat, not just the ones you and some of the NIMBY contingent may be comfortable with. Our society is undergoing many uncomfortable and perhaps dismaying changes, and like it or not, we need to respond in a positive, thoughtful and informed manner, not hysterically and ignorantly which is the easy route. You, as a city council, must show leadership and courage to support this needed program in our community. Cena LaBarge Medicine Hat 8-7
