SAFETY IN THE CORE

Our central communities of downtown and Chinatown have received a significant amount of attention over the few months, and rightfully so. Conditions in the heart of our city have deteriorated significantly, culminating in the heartbreaking loss of two members of the Chinatown community in violent assaults. My deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of these two individuals and everyone in the community that was affected. 

At the request of Minister Shandro, the City has recently compiled a safety plan outlining all the actions that we are and will be undertaking to support safety and security in our downtown. I'm grateful to the Province for recognizing the significant challenges our downtown faces and look forward to collaborating with them to tackle these issues.

Addressing the challenges in these neighbourhoods has been a central focus for me since being elected and I wanted to share with you an overview of some of the supports that Council has decided on to help both Chinatown and our downtown along in their recovery. 

Chinatown

Mayor Sohi recently posted a comprehensive list of current and planned initiatives for Chinatown that I am proud to be supporting. The post was created in response to Chinatown specifically, but I believe they will also have positive impacts for the whole of our downtown. I'm hopeful that this concrete list of actions and the momentum around supporting Chinatown should start to relieve the negative effects of chronic under investment in this area and ensure we don't revert back to the old status quo. While the impetus was tragic, I am looking forward to this opportunity to support and revitalize this valued area of our city. 

I'm incredibly grateful to all the community members who have taken the time to meet with Mayor Sohi, my Council colleagues and I, and City staff in recent weeks to share their hurt and put forward their ideas. I am amazed at their continued compassion and determination to find holistic solutions to the situation and am committed to supporting this community as best I can. 

Downtown

The state of our downtown was something that I heard about consistently at the doorsteps last summer and has been top of mind since the election. Both businesses and residents are currently struggling with the impacts of the housing and mental health crisis we see playing out on our streets. While I know there is still a lot of work to be done, there are steps we have started to take to support the downtown rebound. 

In February, as part of the Transit Safety Plan, Council approved $4.1m in funding for a new model in the LRT system called Community Outreach Transit Teams (COTT), a partnership between EPS, City of Edmonton Peace Officers, and Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society. We also passed a motion asking City staff to come back with a plan to expand this model throughout the downtown, which will go a long way in helping to address safety issues while ensuring that individuals facing homelessness gain access to support services to meet their needs.

During our budget deliberations late last year, Council approved a number of new resources to help deal with the immediate issues in downtown. This included a quarter of a million dollars to help REACH expand their Crisis Diversion team, and $900,000 to nearly triple the encampment outreach response teams who can help connect those currently living without housing to the services and supports they need. Council also approved over $3m to roll out staffed public washrooms in the downtown and other priority areas across Edmonton. We also allocated $1.4m to staff a new 10 person special waste team who will be deployed to make sure downtown is clean and inviting.

Starting in April, our City Manager has deployed more Peace Officer patrols downtown. As of late May, EPS has committed to moving resources into downtown, to better match the proportion of calls that are coming from downtown, as compared to other parts of the city.

As part of our Community Safety and Well Being discussions, Council voted to allocate $5m for social workers and mental health specialists to work with the Human-centered Engagement and Liaison Partnership Unit (HELP) in EPS throughout the downtown core and Chinatown, as well as more daytime shelter space led by Indigenous community organizations and expansion of the YEG Ambassador Program.

We were also able to secure a new position within the City of Edmonton focused exclusively on the Downtown Economic Recovery, which will continue to foster the recovery of our core. There are exciting projects coming up such as Warehouse Park and the Village at ICE District. Projects like this will enhance the economy and vibrancy of the heart of our city over the long term.

I'm glad that the City is taking these steps and I am so encouraged by the commitment and willingness for collaboration from businesses, residents, and agencies in the downtown. The downtown rebound will require a full team effort and I look forward to working with all stakeholders to find ways forward. 

Future state

Many of the initiatives outlined here are focused on immediate needs, which I agree are absolutely critical in this moment. But I want to be sure that I'm also not losing sight of the long-term solutions that we need to be successful in the long term.  Something that stays with me is that the peak of the challenges in our downtown coincided with the end of emergency pandemic funding that was providing additional health and housing supports for marginalized members of our community. This to me speaks of the power and possibility of making investments in the long-term solutions that can also have such immediate impacts on our current situation. I'm hopeful that the opening of 500 new units of permanent supportive housing this summer will make a significant difference, and I will continue to advocate for these more lasting solutions. 

I am so proud to be the Councillor for the ward that includes our downtown and Chinatown. We need to have a team approach, and I know that Council recognizes that both of these communities are important parts of the city and will work with me to support its well being. Please continue to reach out to me at anne.stevenson@edmonton.ca with your thoughts, concerns, and ideas.