It has been a while since I posted here. I’ve moved to High River south of Calgary and had to get into the joys of starting a new job. It’s been a hectic past three weeks.
So today I figured that since there seems to be so much ink in the Herald on the plight of the mentally ill in Calgary, coupled with parallel article on homelessness, I should call in on the mayor and ask what he thinks of the whole thing.
It’s easy to get to the mayor’s office. The number is right on the net. Your request for an interview is passed to Mark Henry, the mayor’s chief of staff. He called back within an hour.
What’s the city’s position on the homeless mentally ill?
“It’s under provincial jurisdiction,” said Mark, “Housing is provincial and mental illness is a provincial matter.”
“Are you saying you have nothing to do with the homeless mentally ill in Calgary?” I asked.
“It’s a provincial matter,” he replied.
“Can I ask the mayor’s position on the fact there are anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 severely mentally ill people living on the river banks in Calgary?” I continued.
“The position, as I said before, is that it is a provincial matter,” he replied, “You should try calling Ms. Fritz, the associate minister in Edmonton.”
“I already have the call in,” I replied, “Thanks.”
And that was about it.
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