City releases 'Safer For All' plan to address racism, discrimination
The City of Edmonton and Edmonton Police Service have released a joint plan to address racism and hate crimes.
The plan identifies nearly 70 actions aimed at building a safer city for all Edmontonians.
Some of those include increasing training on bias, anti-racism and trauma, as well as the addition of in-car video cameras to police vehicles.
The city’s work plan was sparked by conversations with Edmonton’s Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force, a task force created in the summer of 2020 following public hearings where Edmontnians shared their experience with racism and policing in the city.
“What we have heard from last summer’s public hearings and the community’s safety and wellbeing task force, is that some Edmontonians are in pain,” said Andre Corbould, Edmonton’s city manager.
Along with EPS and Edmonton Police Commission, the city is partnering with the Anti-racism Advisory Committee, and EndPovertyEdmonton to strengthen community safety.
Edmonton has already launched a new anti-racism grant program with $300,000 in funding to support youth and non-profit organizations for anti-racism projects and events.
The city has also launched an Indigenous framework that Corbould says will guide city staff “on their journey of reconciliation and relationship building with Indigenous peoples.”
EPS Chief Dale McFee said the action items listed within the city’s joint plan aim to change the way officers respond to calls by using a collaboration of mental health experts and community partners.
While the city’s work plan to combat racism and hate crimes has been well underway, several instances of assaults targeting Edmonton’s Muslim community influenced action by the city and police.
Noor Al-Henedy, director of communications and public health relations with the Al Rashid Mosque, said she welcomes the plan and is looking forward to seeing more results on the ground.
“Racism is spreading like there’s no tomorrow where people are getting assaulted. We saw in Ontario, we lost four family members to hate and violence,” said Al-Henedy. “So it is no longer a conversation of ‘oh let’s try and do better. We have to do better, we have to take this seriously.”
The city says that ultimately Edmontonians will be the judges of the report. A public dashboard will be developed so the public can see how the report’s actions are implemented.
The plan will be presented to the community and city council on June 30.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.