The Calgary Children's Cottage Society is opening a safe drop-off site

Calgary now has a safe drop-off site for babies not far from where a newborn was found dead in a Bowness dumpster seven years ago.

“Like many Calgarians, we have been affected by the death of an infant,” said Lisa Garrisen, director of programs for the Children's Cottage Society (CCS).

“We knew we wanted to create something that would be an alternative for parents if they were in a difficult situation.”

CCS opened the new Child and Family Center at 1804 Home Road NW in Montgomery earlier this month and opened the Cradle of Hope at the building's entrance on Monday.

The cradle is a concealed carry area where the baby can be placed in a heated, safe bed that emits a silent alarm to alert staff.

At drop-off, parents can receive a packet of information about available medical and social services.

“If a parent is absolutely sure they can't care for a baby, they know there is a way to get them safely to people who will take them in and care for them and connect them with the resources they need. grow up healthy and happy,” Garrisen said.

“It then allows both the parent and the baby to look into their future and figure out what that might be.”

Cradle adds existing resources to help parents safely drop off their children and access resources themselves.

“We want to make this a really popular alternative.”

Cradle of Hope was created on Christmas Eve 2017 thanks to a newborn baby girl who was dumped in a Bowness bin.

The 19-year-old mother responsible was not jailed.

A Calgary woman said her baby was born alive but stopped breathing shortly after.

Unable to resuscitate her newborn, she wrapped the baby in bags and dumped it in a bin at Bowness Dumpster.

In 2022, Nina Albright pleaded guilty to tampering with a dead body and received an 18-month suspended sentence.

The judge ruled that the prison term was excessive in this case.

Homicide Detective Dave Sweet was part of the investigation team when the baby's body was found.

“The Children's Cottage is in the shadow of what happened in 2017,” said the now-retired Calgary Police Service officer.

“I think the story of Baby Eve, when it was invented, shows that you're never too young to make a difference, and one of the things in her legacy is the crib program.”

Sweet volunteers with a group called Gems for Gems who opened the Cradle of Hope at Strathmore Fire Station in 2021 to make the crib with the Children's Cottage.

“We're just trying to create a different option and a safer option for these babies,” said Jordan Guildford, founder of Gems for Gems.

In a separate program, Covenant Health has developed two safe handover sites near the emergency departments of Gray Nuns Community Hospital and Misericordia Community Hospital in Edmonton.

Since its inception in 2013, Edmonton's Angel's Cradle has been used twice.

“Even if it's just one life, it's all worth it,” Garrisen said.

“It's the difference between a life full of potential danger and harm and a life full of opportunity.”

Another goal is to create more awareness and empathy for parents who may decide to use a crib.

“We want the community to think about understanding and kindness and how selfless these parents were,” Garrisen said.

“It's so easy to demonize women who make these choices, but we want people to understand that these women are incredibly brave,” Guildford said.

Gems for Gems has helped open Hope's Cradles in four Canadian cities and hopes to have one in every major city and some cities across the country.

“Our goals are high because the need is so great,” Guildford said.

“In Alberta, we expect a few more people to show up this year.”

It cost about $25,000 to build, he said.

Garrisen said the partnership with Gems for Gems will make the process easier and he hopes others will consider adding them.

“We have one safe drop-off site in Calgary and that's amazing, but we need more,” Garrisen said.