Calgary city council discussing future of supervised consumption site

Calgary city council will be debating the future of the city’s only supervised consumption site on Tuesday.

Calgary city council will be debating the future of the city’s only supervised consumption site (SCS) on Tuesday.

Council will consider whether to formally call on the province to shut down the site, which has operated out of the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre for nearly seven years.

The discussion stems from a public back-and-forth between city officials and the provincial government last month.

Advocates for the site say it’s saved countless lives and resources, while critics argue it fuels crime and drug use in the area.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek noted drug poisonings are happening across the city, showing a single centralized SCS isn’t working.

As the council prepares for the debate, supporters of the SCS will be rallying outside city hall at 8 a.m.

The group planning the rally says the site currently sees about 3,500 people use it every month and has reversed 58,000 overdoses.