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Calgary council is calling for a feasibility report on a new downtown police station to be ready in time for the city’s budget decisions this fall.
Councillors voted 11-3 on Tuesday to direct city administration to prepare a report by the fourth quarter of this year about a new downtown Calgary police district office. It would be the first building of its kind in the area since the Victoria Park station closed in 2017.
The motion came from Mayor Jeromy Farkas, who argued the current downtown Calgary Police Service (CPS) community counter on Sixth Avenue lacks 24/7 capacity, patrol deployment and the ability to process arrests.
Mayor Jeromy Farkas is looking to bring in a new downtown police station, that offers more than the current community counter CPS currently operates on Sixth Avenue. (Mike Symington/CBC)
“This is about ensuring that Calgary keeps up in terms of our needs from a public safety standpoint,” said Farkas, who promised a downtown precinct during his mayoral campaign.
“It doesn’t give an explicit direction. But if we are going to go down this road, I fully expect us to lock in on this in time for our four-year budget in November.”
Administration will work with CPS, the Calgary Police Commission and the provincial government. Its report is set to review potential locations, cost estimates, funding options, a timeline for implementation, and the prospect for the station to incorporate other community services.
Council ‘overstepping’ police
Some councillors opposed the idea of a new station coming from Farkas’s motion rather than a police commission request, and warned it will not be enough to improve public safety.
“You’re overstepping into operations of the police. That is why we have the commission,” said Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness.
“You can allow the police commission to do their job, and that would be better. You can allow the police chief to do her job.”
Ward 8 Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt supported the motion in hopes it can include space for police to work with other community partners, and find more effective ways tackle root causes of crime.
“The public safety issues that are being communicated with me from people who are experiencing this everyday, whether that be their home or their business, is with mostly non-violent crime,” said Schmidt, who represents the Beltline.
“That to me speaks to the need for the multi-service hub, because we can’t arrest our way out of those types of crimes.”
But Ward 7 Coun. Myke Atkinson, who represents downtown Calgary, argued council should not make spending decisions for the police. He added a new police station that would be built years from now does not do enough to support downtown safety today.
“Buildings do not provide safety,” said Atkinson.
“What a motion like this is doing is putting off the real needs of Calgarians right now.”