Calgarians are dying but city's $25M mental health/addiction plan will take time

Calgary city council spent the day Wednesday talking about future steps to develop its $25-million community mental health and addictions strategy.

Council voted last July to earmark the money as a way to respond to community concerns about overdoses, social disorder related to drug addictions and suicide.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi said it's an important conversation because people are dying every week as a result of drug overdoses or mental health issues.

'Mental health is health'

"It's time for us to understand that mental health is health and if our job is to build a place where people can be healthy, we have to do a much better job than we've done."

He rejected the idea that in doing thisthe city is moving into the health sector, which is a provincial responsibility.

"This stuff's got to happen and it's got to get coordinated," said Nenshi.

"Just like with homelessness, just like with poverty, if no one else is doing it, then as human beings and as a government with smarts and resources, then we've got to take that convening role."

Mental health affects everyone

Council heard from various agenciesin the mental health sector.

A volunteer who is taking part in the process is Karen Gosbee.

Her husband, George Gosbee, was a wealthy Calgary entrepreneur and philanthropist.He committed suicide in November 2017.

She told council addiction and mental health issues have long been a part of her life. She said it's time totry to find ways to present more options to people who want or need help.

"The time is right for collective resources to come together and that begins with community intervention and it starts with education and provide as many options as we can for them and resources," she said.

The mayor said he's glad that Gosbee has volunteered to take part in this process.

Nenshi said he went to business school with George, and Karen'sperspective will help with the work.

"Karen has really become an advocate in the community for showing how even a family that looked like it had everything still couldn't navigate the system and still couldn't get the help they needed at the times they needed it," said the mayor.

A mammoth task

Council heard that developing a strategy is a major undertaking and it will take time. Nenshi figures a report could go to council by the end of 2019 or sometime in 2020.

Not everyone is pleased with the amount of time it will take.

Coun. Evan Woolley, who in the session said his brother died of an overdose last spring, said time is of the essence.

"We're losing hundreds of people in this city. We had 750 people die in this province last year. This is a crisis in our city and it is incumbent on us to act and to act quickly," said Woolley.

Not everyone on council agrees speed should be the top priority.

Coun. Jeff Davison said the city's role in the process is to provide leadership and ensure the various partners are all going in the same direction.

"I'll disagree with Coun. Woolley a little bit. I don't think we want to rush this. We know the problem is out there but we've got to get it right and that's what's important," he said.

Plan for money still unknown

Of the $25 millionthe city plans to dedicate to the initiative, $15 million is for agencies that are funded by the city and for short-term initiatives like Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).

The remaining $10 million will be for funding agencies and new initiatives that are developed through the new strategy.

In administration's report to council Wednesday, service providers reported they face numerous challenges including a lack of sustained or multi-year funding, increasing demands for service, greater complexity in cases and difficulty in retaining staff.

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