Calgary panel begins work to address public safety concerns downtown
CTV
A committee of experts tasked by the City of Calgary with providing downtown public safety recommendations is now beginning work on finding solutions to address addictions issues, housing concerns and crime.
A committee of experts tasked by the City of Calgary with providing downtown public safety recommendations is now beginning work on finding solutions to address addictions issues, housing concerns and crime.
The Downtown Safety Leadership Table sat down for its first meeting last week in an effort to take immediate action and identify gaps to public safety barriers.
The focus group consists of the following six members:
Both Morley and Garner are co-chairs for the committee, which will sit for 120 days before offering a report to city council in January.
Morley notes that that the team is aiming for recommendations centred around compassionate intervention and says they will be speaking with a variety of stakeholder downtown to get to the root cause of safety issues.
"We've seen unprecedented demand for services, it's the pressures of affordable housing and families are being pushed to the brink unable to pay their rent or feed their kids," she said.
"So, affordability, access to services, I think this is all very real with mental health and addictions concerns here in the city, but I think that the resources and services working together along with all the orders of government will start to move the needle on this on this concerning issue."
