Calgary Committee Weighs Symbolic Support for Closing City’s Only Supervised Consumption Site

Overview

• The executive committee is set to vote Tuesday on a motion from Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston that would move to full council if approved.
• Premier Danielle Smith’s government plans to close the Safeworks site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre this spring under the treatment-focused Alberta Recovery Model.
• Recovery Alberta has not released detailed plans for the replacement, though a city document points to counselling, treatment planning, links to pharmacists, other addiction services and HIV screening.
• Johnston’s motion references creating an in-person “treatment on demand” opioid dependency program modeled on Alberta Health Services’ virtual program.
• Official data show more than 12,500 visits to Safeworks in the third quarter of 2025, as harm-reduction advocates warn of overdose risks from closure and opponents cite safety and business impacts in the Beltline.