'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
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.