Opinion - While Politicians Squabble, Flats Residents suffer

Members of the Municipal Planning Commission listen to the concerns of Flats residents regarding therezoing application by the Mustard Seed on Wednesday. (Photo Alex McCuaig)

By Alex McCuaig

The Flats is an unabashed working-class neighbourhood. It embraces its connection to Hat industry with road names like Pottery Street along with Clay, Porcelain, and Brick avenues.

The 2010 flood permanently knocked out the biggest remaining neighbourhood factory when water gushed through the IX-L brick plant and its kilns. The neighbour was the hardest hit in the city that year which saw the Ross and Seven Persons creeks spill their banks with little warning to the community.

River damage in 2013 didn’t help either.

On Wednesday at city hall, the neighbourhood banded together again to express a threat to the nature of the community.

Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright in attendance at Wednesday’s MPC meeting.(Photo Alex McCuaig)

This time it was residents raging, not the water.

Residents spoke out about dealing with the flotsam and jetsam of drug use washing up on their property from the wave of fentanyl and meth that’s hit the community.

Stories about overdoses, open drug use and prostitution along with petty theft and daytime attempted break ins featured prominently at Municipal Planning Commission’s meeting.

There was sympathy for those wrestling with their demons. But that stopped short at the point where residents said they’re being pulled into another person’s Hell.

If a city planning commission meeting seems like an odd host site for residents to be able to voice the social challenges caused by drug-related harms, that’s because it is.

And the process which is set up to deal with building variances and zoning regulations is ill-equipped to handle such topics.

For Flats residents, they are accustomed to making the most of what’s available to them, they’ve proven they will take all the opportunities to voice their concerns.

Since the city and province have failed in providing a more appropriate venue, Flats residents have been left with a public body better suited to dealing with problems regarding a building permit not being up to spec as the place to air grievances to government.

While the Mustard Seed didn’t create the social ills associated with drug related harms, it did volunteer to take up the challenge in trying to mitigate them. For Flats residents who packed city hall chambers for a rezoning application by the organization, it’s clear they have failed in that regard.

Mayor Linnsie Clark in attendance as a spectator at Wednesday’s MPC meeting. (Photo Alex McCuaig)

But the city’s administration, elected officials, police and social agencies also had a part in setting the Mustard Seed up to not succeed.

Rather than tackling the issue head on, transparently and collaboratively, different levels of government, city administration and social agencies have apparently quibbled amongst each other for months now.

Flats resident and Community TV founder Tom Fougere attempted to document the situation and give voice to the concerns of the neighbourhood. But during a meeting on the topic at the police station in the fall, he was arrested and charged with causing a disturbance.

There’s been secret meetings between the provincial and municipal levels of government along with the local housing society for months. The results of which have been little more than public squabbling.

In the meantime, Flats residents suffer.

Drug addiction may be a complex issue but providing the training and material to Flats residents to safely dispose of needles and other paraphernalia is simple.

No one in authority appears to be even able to tackle that one issue as those with the power to do something would rather quibble with each other.

And again, the Flats residents suffer.

If Wednesday’s meeting demonstrated anything, the Flats residents are no longer going to take the issue lying down.