Shandro tells Sohi to create 'public safety plan' to fight violence in Edmonton's core
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has two weeks to provide a new plan to the province, after the justice minister accused him on Thursday of "not providing or maintaining adequate and effective policing services."
Tyler Shandro said he is concerned about a "sharp increase of violent crime in downtown Edmonton," listing recent attacks at transit stations and "high level of public drug use" as specific problems.
“I have a responsibility under the Police Act to ensure the people of Edmonton receive the law enforcement protection they deserve," Shandro said in a new release.
"I will require a public safety plan from you that will increase police response to this disorder and ensure members of the public can use Edmonton’s public transit safely," he wrote in a letter to Sohi, which he then made public.
A day earlier, Shandro accused Edmonton City Council of cutting police funding in a tweet, something two councillors and Sohi disputed.
"Thank you for your interest in Edmonton, Minister Shandro," Sohi responded, adding an offer to meet with him at the legislature on Thursday to talk about "houselessness, mental health, addictions and trauma."
"From 2019 to 2022, the Edmonton Police Service property tax-supported budget went up by $28.6 million, which represents a 8.47% increase over 4 years."
SOHI CALLS SHANDRO'S LETTER AN 'OVERREACH'
Sohi pointed his finger back at the provincial government Thursday afternoon by calling crime and the prevention of it a "shared responsibility." He then listed a number of new city initiatives he's supporting.
"The disorder and crime that we're seeing in our downtown is directly linked to the lack of provincial investments in ending houselessness, the mental health crisis, drug poisoning and addictions crisis," he said at City Hall.
"Ever since I got elected, I have been raising these issues with the provincial government and asking them to step up to help to deal with them. So far, they have neglected these asks, but we have been taking actions on our own."
Sohi spoke specifically about $3.9 million for a new transit safety strategy, $8.4 million on a new community safety strategy and $5 million in a motion he's proposing to improve safety in the core and on LRT.
The province provided statistics Thursday that show violent incidents in Edmonton rose 11 per cent from 2020 to 2021. Sohi stated that crime in Edmonton is down 17 per cent overall, although he agreed that some areas and transit are seeing spikes in violence.
Sohi and Shandro plan to meet next week, although the mayor said he was not happy there hadn't been more communication before the letter came out.
BATTLE OVER POLICE FUNDING
Last week, Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee promised to rush more officers into the core by diverting resources from other areas of the city. Sohi later applauded that effort.
CTV News Edmonton has learned that the number of officers being moved is between 30 to 50. A spokesperson for EPS said the service had no comment on Thursday.
The issue of police funding is a hot topic in the Alberta capital this month, with councillors set to vote Friday on a motion to freeze base funding for EPS at $385 million.
A local criminologist said while Shandro has a right to demand a safety plan, his motivations are suspect, and his letter could be seen as an attempt to influence a council vote.
"I don't see how this positively contributes to what was already a politically-charged debate. My perspective is that the minister's approach takes this deeper into political theatrics," said Temitope Oriola from the University of Alberta.
Politicians, police commission chair John McDougall and McFee have been publicly sparring over what a freeze would mean for the bottomline on police resources, with some claiming a $22-million cut could result from the new formula.
"EPS has received $22 million per year from photo radar revenue. If this were to stop, and council did not subsequently add that to the tax base, then there could be a cut," Coun. Andrew Knack wrote in a blog post aimed at clearing up confusion.
"But to be clear, no one has suggested that at all so the idea that council is considering a cut to EPS’ funding is not accurate."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
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.
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.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
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.
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.