Edmonton council explores solution to increase downtown safety after Shandro invokes Police Act

City leaders are asking police what’s being done to increase safety downtown, after accusations from the province that Edmonton is failing to keep people safe from violent crime.

Tyler Shandro, Alberta’s justice minister, told Mayor Amarjeet Sohi in a letter that he is invoking his powers under the province’s Police Act to demand a report within two weeks on what the city will do to arrest a spike in serious crime.

Shandro cited an increase in downtown crime as well as aggressive encounters and drug use on light-rail rapid transit.

This also comes after two men – Hung Trang, 64, and Ban Phuc Hoang, 61 – were killed in Chinatown in separate attacks two weeks ago. Police have charged a man with two counts of second-degree murder.

“We will be able to put that together in two weeks and present that to the minister, and open the dialogue with him on the role the province needs to play in order to improve safety further,” said Sohi.

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On Friday, council discussed and passed a motion to respond to the minister’s letter while also establishing a plan to respond to safety concerns in Chinatown.

The city will spend $300,000 on security for the area. An additional $1 million will be dedicated to community recovery, along with increased enforcement and clarification around city bylaws.

Despite the recent attention on the neighbourhood following the homicides, Mayor Sohi insists this plan has been in the works for years.

“We also engaged with the community over the last week,” he said. “We heard a number of specific asks from them, particularly on the security issue, so we added $300,000 for supporting private security.”

When it comes to security around transit stations, council will explore options like additional enforcement around open drug use and criminal behaviour. They’ll also look at the feasibility of installing gates at transit centres to prevent fare evasion and loitering.

READ MORE: Concerns for Edmonton’s homeless population as city, province address rise in violent crime

Late Friday afternoon, city manager Andre Corbould said the city’s plan will strike a balance between policing and compassion.

“We want in most cases to get vulnerable people help, but we also require in some cases police enforcement to deal with criminal activity in our city,” said Corbould. “What these joint operational teams will do is be more efficient about getting the right resource to the right situation.”