A downtown advocacy group wants to see Edmonton become the safest city in Canada, and has proposed a number of solutions to address existing gaps and inefficiencies.

A new report from the Downtown Revitalization Coalition highlights visible drug use and disorder as ongoing challenges in the city’s high-traffic public spaces, especially downtown. 

“When people feel safe, they stay longer, return more often and engage more deeply in the life of the city. Today, that confidence is fragile,” the report said.

Transit stations, LRT platforms and pedway corridors are “chronic hotspots” for disorder, said the report. A CBC investigation earlier this year found transit-related crime more than doubled over a nine-year period in Edmonton, making the city’s transit system one of the most dangerous in the country. 

“Striving to be the safest downtown in Canada is a great goal,” Coun. Anne Stevenson told reporters. “And I think it’s definitely achievable, if we have all partners working together.” 

She pointed out the city doesn’t have control over how police deploy resources, but has increased its budget and hired more peace officers.

But coalition chair Cheryll Watson said reworking the system doesn’t have to cost more. One thing the group is advocating for is the integration of transit and peace officers with police.

“It’s almost as though city administration is creating their own police force, but one with very limited capability and responsibility,” she said. 

“What we’re asking the city to do is transfer those employees to actually be within the realm and responsibility of Edmonton Police Service.”

This would allow for better co-ordination through things like a shared call centre and centralized deployment, Watson said. She also noted it could even save money.

Watson said she’d like to see the city review programs like REACH, the round-the-clock crisis support team.

That team is oversubscribed and needs a narrower scope in order to respond to situations in a more timely manner, Watson said.

All levels of government

The report also noted that there is no place for people who cannot remain in a public space but do not require detention.

It calls for a 24-hour stabilization and transfer facility that would provide medical, addiction and social support, as well as paths to other services. 

Edmonton police opened a similar service, called Integrated Care Centre, in 2023. But Watson noted it is only for people detained on public intoxication charges.

Coun. Michael Janz said he likes much of the report, but that many of the recommendations, particularly around handling and treating addiction, fall outside the city’s purview.

“We don’t have the money to do that. We are not allowed under legislation to do that,” he said.

“They need to bring it to the Legislature and the premier, not to the mayor.”

The coalition envisions this as something the province could take on through Recovery Alberta, said Watson. 

A statement from a spokesperson with the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction said it is doing a deeper review of the report, but said it aligns with work already in place or underway.

“Their goals are our government’s goals — to make downtown Edmonton a safe place to live, work and enjoy public spaces.”