Senior governments are being “derelict” by not giving municipalities enough money for needle cleanup and cannabis legalization, say Red Deer city councillors.
While legalizing marijuana and giving out clean needles to drug users as a form of harm reduction are not the city’s decisions, it is municipal taxpayers who are left picking up part of the bill to mitigate fallout from these government calls, said Coun. Vesna Higham.
”There’s only so much municipalities can absorb,” said Higham, who sees a pattern in the provincial and federal governments creating expenses for the city and then not following through and covering these costs adequately.
Although the province gave Red Deer grants toward both legal cannabis implementation and needle cleanup ($325,800 over two years for the former and $80,000 in one-time funding for the latter), council heard it is not nearly enough.
City manager Craig Curtis said the province funds the annual distribution of 550,000 clean needles to drug users in the Red Deer region. Many of the used needles end up in city parks, boulevards and alleys, and Curtis said the grant “absolutely” does not cover the entire cost of needle pickup.
”Thankfully, we haven’t had children… citizens stabbed,” said Coun. Ken Johnston, who feels the province is being “derelict” in supplying needles “on a grand scale” and then not doing enough to mitigate the risk to the community.
Coun. Lawrence Lee also expressed amazement that the province tries to apply best practices to one side of the addictions equation, but then stops short of fully protecting citizens on the other end. He said this includes the government not funding a drug treatment centre in Red Deer.
Council already approved $200,000 for needle and rough sleeper debris cleanup in 2019.
Regarding the implementation of new cannabis policies and bylaws, council was told the city has already outspent, in the preparation phase costing $350,000, the entire grant that the province has provided for two years of implementation. And there’s still the enforcement side to put into place.
The city’s protective services director, Paul Goranson, told council he has no idea yet of what the full costs of training, public awareness and enforcement will be.
While council “embraces” the grants that the province has provided, “the money is already gone,” said Higham, and it shouldn’t now be up to municipal taxpayers to make up the shortfall.