SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO MAKE CITY SAFER

A school musical in Olympic Plaza stands between a cocaine addict and
his stash at the base of a light standard. No longer able to keep
control, the addict waves his knife in front of the performers, grabs
his fix and rushes for the washroom.

The actors are scared, the audience is numb and the night is just
beginning.

Welcome to the inner core as Calgary moves towards a million people,
the magic numerical marker that defines big cities.

With size come the big problems as gangs concentrate and criminals
expand their reach. Drug use jumps in run-down neighbourhoods and
affluent suburbs alike, and homelessness reaches a breaking point.

These are only some of the social problems that must be faced before
they fester and become almost impossible to manage.

The Safe Streets Safe Cities Conference, set for April 4 to 6, is
bringing to Calgary world experts, including Janet Reno, former
Attorney General of the United States.

She and many other speakers and participants have seen what works and
what doesn't, and created solutions that produce remarkable results in
cities from Toronto to Vancouver (see the website at
safestreetssafecities.com).

The public can participate and discuss ideas and solutions to make
Calgary a safer, better city.

Calgary needs to determine how to solve these problems quickly, so
that the social and criminal impact on people and places begins to drop.

Crystal meth is escalating and crack houses have become virtual
revolving doors. Grow-ops seem to proliferate and hard drugs are
brazenly sold on downtown streets.

Most small crimes and muggings are drug-related. Crack addicts only
steal within a two-block radius of the drug house. Providing treatment
on demand and safe injection sites reduces criminal activity and
offers the addict a road to recovery.

Another solution is to change criminal sentences. While she was
Attorney General, Reno pushed for tougher jail terms for habitual and
violent criminals, but offered treatment and a second-chance to
addicts and first-time offenders.

There are solutions to homelessness, starting with affordable housing.
Studies in Toronto show that low-cost housing proves to be less
expensive than shelters, and reaps far greater social rewards.

Ten years ago, Calgary had 400 homeless; today there are 2,600.

The downtown shelter is packed every night while hard drugs are sold
within walking distance.

Were treatment available and housing affordable, many of the homeless
and those fighting addiction could be permanently working, thus
providing part of the solution to our growing labour shortage.

The goal is to reduce the impact of crime and improve the quality of
the downtown. Yet there's often a weariness within the system as those
on the front line try to maintain equilibrium even as the problems
multiply and funding fails to keep pace.

The community needs to re-charge its social and political will and
support innovative ideas that show real results.

Becoming a big city requires a paradigm shift. We don't want to be
afraid of our city. We want it to be one of the most livable in the
world. We need to find ways to continue to be Calgary, but on a bigger
scale.

We also need time and money to develop solutions to crime and social
disorder.

Calgarians are great volunteers; when we decide something is
important, we go ahead and do it. We give to social agencies that make
a difference, provide leadership on boards and in community groups.

We need to remind politicians that having a safe, healthy city --
social infrastructure -- is as important as fiscal
infrastructure.

Most of all we need to remember that all big cities, even the best,
are challenged. If Manhattan can clean up its downtown, so can we. And
we will.