Mayor Edmonton sells $ 5 million to outreach patrol teams and day shelters

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If the city council follows the mayor’s initiative, a new day shelter space will be opened and a patrol team pairing social workers and police could soon land in Edmonton.

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Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is at stake on the streets of the city, spending $ 5 million on teams patrolling downtown, Chinatown and transit stations to address recent public concerns about safety and disability. We want to help increase the number of people.

The city hires social workers or mental health professionals to work with the Edmonton Police Services (EPS) HELP Outreach and PACT Crisis Response Unit and the city’s Transit Outreach team to expand the YEG Ambassador Program and day-use indigenous groups. Involve in the creation of the shelter. With funding from the state government aimed at revitalizing downtown.

The council will discuss this idea at a future meeting.

Mr Sohi said this action would greatly help make the city safer.

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“[They]could spread the situation with problematic behavior, obstruction and increased criminal activity,” the mayor told reporters Tuesday. “At the same time, there are social workers who can provide the right intervention and the right space to take the individual to a facility that can help people deal with mental health crises and problems.” ing.”

Of the $ 5 million in funding, $ 1 million comes from state funding towards the Downtown Recovery Coalition. In a news release, Chairman Alex Hryciw said Sohi’s ideas have gained the support of the group.

The council committee discussed for nearly two days the community safety vision presented by city managers, hoping to make Edmonton the safest city in Canada by 2030. The plan includes a $ 8.4 million proposal to spend $ 8.4 million on 10 items, including community safety microgrant and bridge healing. Centers for vulnerable patients discharged from hospitals, indigenous-led shelters, coordinated dispatch centers used to dispatch police, fire departments, emergency personnel, mental health or social workers in emergencies.

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There was general support from the general public, businesses and councilors for the two-day long-term goal, but the lack of immediate action was a striking criticism and required more police officers in downtown and Chinatown. Was a general refrain. .. EPS Chief Dale McFee has promised to place more officers on the ground for greater visibility. Within a month if possible.

Mr Sohi said Tuesday that his idea would fill the gap by providing an immediate solution that combined increased patrols of city officials and police for prevention purposes.

“(So) people lose their homes and don’t end up in danger of addiction, so that’s the balance we’re trying to understand,” he told reporters. “I think we have the right balance.”

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The councilor on Monday spent several hours discussing the 10 items proposed in line with the city’s new safety strategy.

Coun. Keren Tang has proposed to abolish the children’s literacy program run by the Edmonton Public Library and use the proposed $ 200,000 to stop the crisis of drug addiction. Coun. Jo-Anne Wright argued that the integrated call center would be abolished and the city would need to invest $ 400,000 in responding to the opioid crisis. Both motions have been withdrawn so that the council can discuss the entire funding package at the next meeting.

More cash for the police?

Coun. In criticism that EPS wasn’t properly allocating downtown resources, Michael Janz was worried that money would be sent to police before Congress revisited the budget.

“It’s like we’re off-hooking the police,” he told the council committee. “If you don’t see the police doing what you expect, you’ll vote to spend more on the police.”

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McFee argued that EPS is changing and crime has declined over the last three years.

“We claim to have made more changes than anyone else. We gave you that communication, and you haven’t read it,” McAfee told Yants. “We are moving things and listening to the same thing, so I respectfully disagree.”

On Tuesday, EPS posted the number of executives in the downtown division. On twitter This includes several districts in north-central Edmonton, including Downtown, Queen Mary Park, Oliver, Macquarie, and Central McDougall. According to EPS, Downtown Beat has 20 police officers, 100 police officers patrol this department, and a total of 151 police officers are based in the downtown department.

lboothby@postmedia.com

@laurby