City council passed a motion on Monday to address the ongoing problem of finding a permanent home for Second Chance Recovery, one of two methadone clinics in Calgary. 

The motion, put forth by Ald. Brian Pincott and Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, will review current zoning by-laws surrounding methadone clinics, which are currently classified as medical clinics. It will investigate the possibility of allowing the drug treatment facilities to be set up in light industrial areas. 

The Second Chance Recovery was given notice earlier this year to move out of its northeast industrial location because it wasn't properly zoned. In early July, the clinic quietly reopened in a stripmall in the southwest community of Braeside. The move blindsided residents, Calgary police and Pincott, the ward's alderman.

A townhall meeting that drew hundreds of residents did little to educate or alleviate fears despite the best efforts of Pincott and Calgary police to illuminate and calm the raucous crowd. The operators of the clinic were a no-show, which only inflamed residents who felt slighted by the fact they weren't consulted beforehand (though many openly acknowledged prior notification would not have swayed their opinions).

In the parking lot outside the community hall, some class act littered vehicles with $10 coupons to Spy City.

The next day saw the clinic's operators announce they would shut down the clinic, leaving some 500 clients out in the cold. Days later it announced it would be working on finding a new location in Calgary.

"Everyone was a loser that night," said Colley-Urquhart at today's council meeting, while admitting the motion is a Band-Aid solution to a problem that needs to see the whole community, including Alberta's Health Services, get involved.

Here's a slightly edited version of Colley-Urquhart addressing council:

And here's Colley-Urquhart after the meeting: