'I was crying': Families of Chinatown victims challenge Edmonton council to make area safer
Tears were shed inside Edmonton City Hall Tuesday as family and friends of two men killed in Chinatown pleaded with councillors for help to make their community safer.
Hung Trang, 64, and Ban Phuc Hoang, 61, died after separate attacks that police allege were committed by the same man. Justin Bone, 36, now faces two counts of second-degree murder.
"Our family will never be the same again," said Christina Trang, Hung's daughter. "Maybe if things had been different in Chinatown, my dad could still be with us today."
"Chinatown needs improvement. We no longer feel safe in our own community."
Trang was supported by dozens who packed into chambers, some of whom requested to speak, as councillors met to debate several items including community safety and police funding. The request was granted.
"I speak for the community when I said, 'I told you so! We knew this would happen!'" an emotional Hon Leong told councillors.
He referred to Hoang as his uncle and said his words were on behalf of a grieving family. Leong also chairs the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative.
"Decisions about the future of Chinatown are being made by people who do not care, or understand the real challenges we deal with every day," he said, explaining how the most recent deaths have contributed to community members no longer feeling safe in the area.
Leong wants more police in Chinatown as soon as possible and suggested a specific task force dedicated to safety in the area.
"Frankly, I turned off my camera because I was crying, and I know how difficult this has been for you and my heart goes out to you very, very much," Coun. Aaron Paquette said after Trang and Leong spoke.
NEW STRATEGY APPROVED
After hearing from speakers, council approved a new Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy, which will reallocate funding previously earmarked for police towards initiatives like social work, drug poisoning responses and an Indigenous-led shelter.
The strategy also includes $4 million to pair social workers and mental health specialists with police officers on patrol downtown, in Chinatown and on transit.
"Chinatown has been neglected for decades," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said.
"Things must change for Chinatown, for downtown and 118 Avenue…I'm absolutely committed to doing that."
Last week, Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee said he will divert more officers downtown to deal with an "immediate crisis," and Sohi applauded that.
Council also approved, by a vote of 9-4, $300,000 from its contingency funding to address "the immediate needs of Chinatown."
Paquette pointed his finger at the provincial and federal governments as he argued that city councils can only do so much to tackle the root causes of crime with property tax revenue.
"Are there any MLAs here today to speak on provincial funding for mental health or addictions?" He said rhetorically.
"It's an Edmonton issue, but it's also in municipalities across Alberta and across the country. This community crying out right now could just as well be the voice for everyone in every municipality."
Council also heard from citizens about a motion to freeze base funding for police, but the conversation was paused when council ran out of time. A decision on that was not expected until Friday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Joe Scarpelli
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.