Story by Michael Rodriguez • Calgary Herald
A cohort of east Calgary groups say the bolstering of resources downtown in a bid to quell social disorder has pushed the issue — and a number of people — to communities outside the city’s core.
Some organizations say crime and disorder in the downtown is now being pushed east into communities such as Forest Lawn.© Provided by Calgary Herald
International Avenue BRZ executive director Alison Karim-McSwiney says there’s “no question” social issues in communities outside the city centre have been ignored as attention falls on more frequented downtown areas.
She said security staff employed by the BRZ have had 601 interactions through the first three months of the year — nearly doubling the year-to-date 2022 numbers —and have noted at least 30 vulnerable or unhoused people who’ve never been in the community before that have fled the downtown area.
“The throwing of resources (downtown) clearly is creating a displacement that is further exacerbating issues in east Calgary,” Karim-McSwiney told Postmedia on Tuesday. “What the solutions are, are not working. We have to talk about what is the root of this problem.”
Euan Thomson, a harm reduction advocate and the executive director of Each and Every, said he feels for communities struggling with the burden of what he called a “significant displacement issue.”
“A lot of people have already been pushed to east Calgary over the last few years out of downtown with all the hostile architecture, the alarms that go off in the back alleys when you walk through them, to keep people from seeking shelter there, and so on,” he said.
“You don’t see that as much along International Ave. They’ve certainly taken on a lot of extra burden just as a result of the added resources and added policing across downtown.”
The issues, as Karim-McSwiney and other community organizations described them, include an increase in the unhoused population, public substance use, growing encampments and more frequent violent incidents.
“It’s not the people who live here, it’s not the people who grew up here or moved here,” said Wendy Whitehouse, president of the Southview Community Association. “This is a problem that … landed here post-pandemic.”
Calgary announces action plan to improve safety on transit
2:55
The City of Calgary last week unveiled a number of new actions to target increased crime on the city’s transit line — many focused on downtown — and has been beefing up police and security resources downtown for the better part of a year. The provincial government followed up that announcement with a commitment to fund 100 new police officer positions in Calgary and Edmonton , with officials mostly speaking to ongoing issues in the cores of both cities.
“We know that if we squeeze the water balloon on transit, we will see displacement up and down in the lines,” said Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld at a news conference announcing transit initiatives last Tuesday. “And if we squeeze in all of those places, the water may burst and recede into the community.
“Displacement is definitely a concern that we’re looking at … This needs to be a sustained effort moving forward.”
Larry Leach, executive director of the 12 Community Safety Initiative, an organization focused on crime prevention throughout CPS’s District 4, said the displacement of vulnerable and unhoused people to eastern communities — and others abutting the city centre — has been going on for a number of years, but recent downtown-focused actions have compounded the issue.
“If people see there’s lots of cops in an area, they’re going to move to another area. It’s just human nature,” said Leach. “(We need) a balance of resources … and to understand that there are consequences of putting resources in one place that then the problem ends up in other areas.”
But Thomson said that balance shouldn’t come via additional police officers. He said the root of the issue is a lack of basic services for those vulnerable populations, including bolstered affordable housing supply and more supports for people who use substances.
“If people don’t like public drug use, demand drug use sites, demand supervised consumption sites that are safe for people to go and use — and they will,” he said. “You’ll reduce public drug use, you’ll reduce needle discard, all that sort of thing, and that will instantly create a bit more perceived public safety.”
Karim-McSwiney noted east Calgary has a concentration of social services and what she called “negative land uses” — businesses like payday loan centres and pawn shops — that attract vulnerable populations to the area.
“We’re not against social services in any way,” Karim-McSwiney asserted, noting that her organization’s own outreach has helped at least 11 unhoused people find suitable living options.
“We’re just saying that sometimes if there’s not that holistic approach happening, and no one’s kind of watching what’s happening, that’s when you’re gonna have problems.”
Thomson questioned Karim-McSwiney’s notion of an oversaturation of services attracting vulnerable residents to east Calgary, saying that “services get set up in places where they’re needed.”
“Most people aren’t travelling all over the place to hang out around services; they’re part of that community. They’re using the services that are available to them, for the most part,” he said.
“These people are not going to disappear. In fact, the population is only going to keep growing until we address housing, and that has to happen at every level of government.”
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
Twitter: @michaelrdrguez
2:55
The City of Calgary last week unveiled a number of new actions to target increased crime on the city’s transit line — many focused on downtown — and has been beefing up police and security resources downtown for the better part of a year. The provincial government followed up that announcement with a commitment to fund 100 new police officer positions in Calgary and Edmonton , with officials mostly speaking to ongoing issues in the cores of both cities.
“We know that if we squeeze the water balloon on transit, we will see displacement up and down in the lines,” said Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld at a news conference announcing transit initiatives last Tuesday. “And if we squeeze in all of those places, the water may burst and recede into the community.
“Displacement is definitely a concern that we’re looking at … This needs to be a sustained effort moving forward.”
Larry Leach, executive director of the 12 Community Safety Initiative, an organization focused on crime prevention throughout CPS’s District 4, said the displacement of vulnerable and unhoused people to eastern communities — and others abutting the city centre — has been going on for a number of years, but recent downtown-focused actions have compounded the issue.
“If people see there’s lots of cops in an area, they’re going to move to another area. It’s just human nature,” said Leach. “(We need) a balance of resources … and to understand that there are consequences of putting resources in one place that then the problem ends up in other areas.”
But Thomson said that balance shouldn’t come via additional police officers. He said the root of the issue is a lack of basic services for those vulnerable populations, including bolstered affordable housing supply and more supports for people who use substances.
“If people don’t like public drug use, demand drug use sites, demand supervised consumption sites that are safe for people to go and use — and they will,” he said. “You’ll reduce public drug use, you’ll reduce needle discard, all that sort of thing, and that will instantly create a bit more perceived public safety.”
Karim-McSwiney noted east Calgary has a concentration of social services and what she called “negative land uses” — businesses like payday loan centres and pawn shops — that attract vulnerable populations to the area.
“We’re not against social services in any way,” Karim-McSwiney asserted, noting that her organization’s own outreach has helped at least 11 unhoused people find suitable living options.
“We’re just saying that sometimes if there’s not that holistic approach happening, and no one’s kind of watching what’s happening, that’s when you’re gonna have problems.”
Thomson questioned Karim-McSwiney’s notion of an oversaturation of services attracting vulnerable residents to east Calgary, saying that “services get set up in places where they’re needed.”
“Most people aren’t travelling all over the place to hang out around services; they’re part of that community. They’re using the services that are available to them, for the most part,” he said.
“These people are not going to disappear. In fact, the population is only going to keep growing until we address housing, and that has to happen at every level of government.”
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
Twitter: @michaelrdrguez
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