Whyte Avenue businesses asking for help amid ongoing safety issues

Break-ins, theft, and vandalism

That’s how business owners in Edmonton’s Whyte Avenue area are describing the situation.

“It’s a huge, huge challenge, and a huge cost for small business owners,” said Cherie Klassen, the executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association (OSBA).

“It’s gone beyond just perceptions of people feeling unsafe, to people actually having really negative encounters, and even our business owners having negative encounters.”

“We don’t want it to get worse so that public perceptions decline so dramatically that we are going to have to start rebuilding all over again.”

Mindy Wenger, the manager at Old Strathcona Cycles, is fed up.

“It’s progressively gotten worse after the pandemic,” said Wenger.

The OSBA launched a mass letter-writing campaign Tuesday asking a task force to improve safety in the district.

“We see specific challenges that our business owners face, and we are just trying to find some relief for the business owners,” said Klassen.

“From our perspective, we have seen the stress levels and the frustration from business owners increase, and we are looking for specific asks that some pressure off of business owners.”

The business association is asking for full-time policing in the area every day; the implementation of an outreach street team; the city’s window repair grant to cover vandalism; and more funds for enhanced security measures like cameras and tamper-proof waste bins.

“We see those four things as fairly small asks, but would do a lot to really relieve a lot of the pressure off of business and help improve the public safety in our district,” Klassen told CityNews.

“The shattered window thing is nice, but what about the spray paint, what about the broken bins, or the days of labour lost because the shop doesn’t have any power?” added Wenger.

Response from Edmonton police

The Edmonton Police Service says it currently has two “beat” teams dedicated to Whyte Avenue – roughly 15 officers – patrolling Old Strathcona “five to six days per week at various times, day and night.”

“The number of officers, and the days and times they work are determined and adjusted based on operational needs,” EPS told CityNews in an emailed statement.

“The EPS is aware of the concerns expressed by the Old Strathcona Business Association (OSBA) and understands that businesses and citizens alike are feeling the impacts of rising crime, social disorder, and violence citywide. For this reason, the EPS is committed to our ongoing focused work with various partners, agencies, and the health system to ensure that violence and social disorder are addressed promptly and adequately.”

Grant for broken windows

The OSBA says an increase in broken windows and vandalism in the neighbourhood began last summer. The group was approved by the City of Edmonton for a broken window grant. So far nearly $10,000 in funding has been provided to businesses as a result.

“I think it’s really important for us to emphasize vandalism and broken windows, often people think those kinds of things are victimless crimes, and they really are not,” said Klassen. “They cost small business owners, many who have opened in the last year, thousands of dollars, repeatedly.

“It’s not just once that they are fixing a window, we’ve had folks who have applied to our window repair grant multiple times. And that starts to affect their insurance premiums if they go through insurance, it starts to affect their ability to just operate – maybe they have to shut their business down for a few days. And then there are temporary measures they need to put in place just to secure their place.”

The City of Edmonton says about one-quarter of the $500,000 set aside for the Window Repair Program, which launched earlier this year, has been used.

“At this time, the city is not looking at other security-related funding programs,” said in a statement.