Mayor Chris Spearman waits for the start of a meeting organized by a group called Connecting Our Community. He attended to speak to frustrated citizens about drug and crime problems in Lethbridge.

Mayor Chis Spearman braved the rain on Sept. 9 to talk about crime and drug use with frustrated north Lethbridge residents.

The gathering was part of an initiative called Connecting Our Community, which was started in July by a group of neighbours who wanted to take a stand against crime in their community.

This is the first time the mayor attended one of the group’s meetings and he used the opportunity to talk about the services that Lethbridge has and needs to combat the ongoing opioid crisis.

While speaking from a resident’s deck to a large crowd, he said Lethbridge has some of the most extreme needs of all Alberta cities for services, such as an accessible detox centre and supported housing.

“The fact that we lack those resources is an embarrassment and the fact that the government hasn’t provided them and regardless of the political stripe, we haven’t been successful in getting the services we need so the drug issue and addiction issue keeps escalating out of control,” he said, adding Lethbridge deserves to have the same resources as other cities.

Spearman praised the Connecting our Community group, saying it is important for everyone in the community to work together to solve the ongoing issues.

“We need to make sure that we as a city demand that Lethbridge receives the services that it deserves form the provincial government,” he said, adding that citizens will have a chance to suggest and participate in solutions.

The mayor talked about solutions that he and city council are currently working on, including talks to get a dedicated federal crown prosecutor in the city and a permanent Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) office.

Connecting Our Community first started on the north side, but is now represented in every part of the city, according to Mallory Kristjanson, a spokesperson for the group.

“Our meetings every single night are about raising awareness to some of the issues that we’re facin,g but every single meeting we have is solution focused,” said Kristjanson.

The group uses a Facebook page to communicate with neighbours about what is happening in their area in an effort to prevent crime through awareness.

Kristjanson said they get together for meetings because they believe in unity and collaboration.

“We quickly realized that we can no longer be frustrated because it’s getting us nowhere; we need to turn that frustration into hope,” the spokeswoman said.

According to Kristjanson, the initiative has alleviated anger in citizens toward drug and crime issues in the city.

“Tonight is not the end of your participation, we want your involvement and we want your ideas,” concluded Mayor Spearman.

Connecting Our Community will hold its next meeting on Sept. 23.