By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

Lethbridge Mayor admits to testy social media exchange with councillor over SCS concerns

Jul 19, 2018 | 4:12 PM

LETHBRIDGE – “What I’m saying is, people that don’t listen to competent medical advice, you know, people who say they are better than the experts, that’s going to be a problem for us.”

Mayor Chris Spearman admits to responding to a message on a social media page, which criticized him and others in local government for their response to the ongoing concerns in relation to the Supervised Consumption Site, and needle debris found in public spaces throughout the city.

The message from Spearman July 18, reads: “Actually we do know what we are doing. The fools who want to close the SCS or restrict clean needle distribution would be putting the community at far greater risk.”

It was immediately followed by a message that appeared to be from Councillor Blaine Hyggen, who has been raising concerns during council meetings about needle debris found in public places.

The message from Hyggen reads, “Chris Spearman, thank you your Worship for calling your colleagues “fools,” thank you!”

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: April 19, 2024

9h ago

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: April 15, 2024

Apr 15, 2024

Week-in-review: Street sweeping, policing in Coaldale and #SlowYourRoll

Apr 13, 2024

At City Council’s July 9 meeting, Hyggen brought forward a motion proposing that City Council Direct ARCHES to prevent needles for illicit drug use from leaving the building, however, the motion was postponed until after the Community Issues Committee Meeting at Lethbridge College that night.

It will be brought back before council at its regular meeting July 23.

Both messages have since been deleted from the social media site, but not before some users made their own screen shots and shared them.

Qualifying his comments to media, Spearman referenced the HIV/AIDS crisis that occurred in the 1980s and early 1990s, and the Tainted Blood Crisis in the late 1990s that left about 2,000 recipients of blood and blood products infected with HIV/AIDS and another 30,000 people across Canada infected with Hepatitis C.

“What I’m hearing is that if we don’t have harm reduction policies in place, HIV and Hepatitis will likely expand in our city. Those diseases can not be contained to the drug-using population. They will expand into the greater population putting everybody at risk… if we continue to put populations at risk, we are fools.”

Asked whether he considered any of his colleagues “fools,” the mayor said that wasn’t the case.

“I didn’t call my colleagues fools. Councillor Hyggen said, you know, that if councillors vote for that they’re deemed to be fools, I’ll let him describe how, himself. If people go to an event angry and have their ears closed, not prepared to listen, you know we are an intelligent community. We have a college, a university, people need to be open to the science and listen to the science.”

When asked about the struggle some businesses near the Supervised Consumption Site are going through, he said he has been out to visit the area and has spoken with several managers and owners near 1 Ave. S.

“I understand that there are some significant concerns, and I also understand that there are good neighbour meetings that are hosted by ARCHES, and they’ve been holding those meetings since the supervised consumption site opened.”

He also referenced the security officers who patrol parts of the neighbourhood around the SCS.

And Spearman mentioned that somehow, “meaningful daily activity” should be provided for those who are homeless, out of work and addicted to illicit drugs. 

“After they leave the site, what services do we have? And the answer is not very much.”

He says Calgary businesses located near their SCS have banded together with various social agencies to provide opportunities and solutions to nuisance gatherings and activities.

“We need to work with the business community as a whole and say, ‘how do we accommodate these people so they’re not impairing your business?’ And what are the short-term issues? And then the longer-term issues, because people are saying ‘well, what happens if we can’t solve this problem for a year and a half or two years?’… Well, have to see if there’s a vacant building somewhere, and we can provide water and provide food, and we can provide other services, and some form of constructive daily activity and try and direct people into those facilities.”

However, the mayor also stresses that the solutions don’t only lie with the City. Rather, money and resources must be provided in  joint efforts with AHS and the Provincial Government.

Spearman says more than 650 people are using the SCS each day now, and in June alone, there were more than 13,000 visits to the facility, with July on track for about 15,000 visits.

Many business owners and managers near the SCS are upset over negative behaviours they experience on a daily basis which have left them and their employees fearful.

Others also say their bottom lines have been impacted significantly, they have permanently lost customers, and they must constantly deal with open drug dealing, drug use, loitering, theft and vandalism.