Sohi calls Alberta adding police, crisis workers on transit a 'significant investment'

Edmonton's mayor applauded Tuesday after a plan to make big city transit safer was revealed by the province.

In response to spiking violence in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta is hiring 100 police officers, spending $10 million to clean up property and investing $8 million to expand Police and Crisis Teams (PACT).

"This is a very important, significant investment by the province," Amarjeet Sohi said in Edmonton.

"There are real needs in our city. Safety is becoming a real concern in the downtown, in our transit systems, in business districts like Chinatown, 118 Avenue. We need to continue to provide a compassionate approach with comprehensive solutions, and policing is part of that."

Sohi said Edmonton has been asking the province for additional help for many months and believes Alberta still needs to invest more to tackle the root causes of crime, including addictions and homelessness.

The premier, public safety minister, police chiefs of both big cities and the mayor of Calgary gathered at a transit centre in that city Tuesday morning to make the announcement.

“Safety on public streets is never negotiable," Premier Danielle Smith said.

"We can address root causes like mental health and addiction at the same time, but we will not compromise on security for all Calgarians and Edmontonians."

Smith also bashed the federal government for creating a "broken catch-and-release bail system."

Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee welcomed the money. He spoke about a number of violent incidents that happened in the city Monday to explain what officers are facing.

"We arrested a person in transit carrying a replica handgun and a crossbow, two members went to a convenience store and were attacked by a man with an axe…Police attended a call shortly after with a man, they arrived and one of the officers was punched in the face," McFee said.

Violent crime incidents have spiked 75 per cent at Edmonton LRT and transit centres between July 2022 and January 2023, the provincial announcement stated.

The average crime severity index in downtown Edmonton has also increased 29 per cent, from 90 in July 2022 to 116 in December 2022, it said, adding that a person is twice as likely to be victimized by a stranger at a transit centre than the rest of the city.

The $8 million portion will be used to increase the number of PACT teams in the province, with Calgary going from 12 to 24 and Edmonton increasing from 6 to 18.

Officials could not say when the new officers will be hired, trained and deployed.

In December, the UCP government created task forces in each city to address violent crime in the cores and transit systems and in February Alberta deployed sheriffs to help police in inner-city areas.

Edmonton has also invested in safety by hiring more staff dedicated to transit security, establishing more community safety teams and increasing the police budget.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley issued a statement saying what the UCP government committed to spend Tuesday was about the same as what they took away from cities in fine revenue funding in 2019.

“Crime and social disorder in our downtown cores has also grown due to the steep UCP cuts to affordable housing and rent supplements, which have literally pushed people out of housing and onto the streets," Notley said.

“After four years of the UCP, homelessness in Edmonton has doubled. After four years of the UCP, we can see more people in addiction on the streets, more people with untreated mental illness, and more desperation. The current level of crime and social disorder is a problem the UCP helped create.”

She said her party will be responding to public safety concerns "with concrete commitments in our upcoming platform."

Albertans are scheduled to vote on May 29.

With files from CTV News Calgary's Melissa Gilligan and CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson