Canada Global (Web News) Similar to the task force launched in Edmonton earlier this week, Calgary will have its own provincially run task force to address social concerns facing the city.
On Friday morning, the McDougall Centre hosted the unveiling of the Calgary public safety and community response task force, which carries with it $58 million in funding to address homelessness and addiction.
Provincial ministers, municipal council members, and Indigenous representatives were there.
Nicholas Milliken, minister of mental health and addiction, said the funds will be used for a variety of initiatives, including expanding the availability of affordable housing options, converting former prison living quarters into treatment facilities, establishing police-health hubs in the downtown, and expanding medical detox services.
Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jeremy Nixon, who was once the Mustard Steed’s executive director, will serve as the task force’s chair.
Nixon recounted his experiences trying to help a person who had come to him for addiction support while working at the Mustard Seed.
