Western Standard - 'Alberta Government's Direct Action To Keep Edmontonians Safe'

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

00:00:30.000 Thank you.

00:01:00.000 Thank you.

00:01:30.000 Thank you.

00:02:00.000 Thank you.

00:02:30.000 Thank you.

00:03:00.000 Thank you.

00:03:30.000 Thank you.

00:04:00.000 Thank you.

00:04:30.000 Thank you.

00:05:00.000 Thank you.

00:05:30.000 Thank you.

00:06:00.000 Thank you.

00:06:30.000 Thank you.

00:07:00.000 Thank you.

00:07:30.000 Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you all for being here today.

00:07:56.080 First, I want to acknowledge that we are gathered today on Treaty 6 land and we respect the histories and languages and cultures of our First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant communities.

00:08:11.040 Today I'm pleased to be joined by Edmonton Police Chief Dale McPhee, Councillor Sarah Hamilton

00:08:17.120 from the City of Edmonton, and Alexandra Hiritsu from the Edmonton Downtown Recovery Coalition

00:08:24.080 to provide an update on a key initiative to get 50 more uniformed officers on the streets of

00:08:30.960 Edmonton. Boots on the ground is what the city needs at a turbulent time as social disorder

00:08:36.640 continues to occur putting edmontonians at risk and as we all know violent crime continues to be

00:08:42.800 a significant challenge in all of our urban centers particularly in edmonton and calgary

00:08:48.640 in edmonton all statistics indicate that violent crime continues to grow this alarming trend is

00:08:54.400 deeply concerning for edmontonians we must act now to make our city streets safe again

00:09:02.080 the alberta government has zero tolerance for these senseless crimes by criminals who think

00:09:08.560 there will be no consequences earlier this year under the direction of premier smith our

00:09:13.040 government committed to working with the city of edmonton the edmonton police service

00:09:17.120 and the edmonton police commission to add 50 new officers to eps ranks to help curb the tide of

00:09:22.800 growing violence today i am pleased to announce a pivotal investment of 8.3 million dollars to

00:09:30.080 enable the recruitment, training, and deployment of these 50 new officers. They'll be strategically

00:09:35.760 stationed in high crime areas such as downtown core, transit corridors, and other problem areas.

00:09:43.280 We know officer presence matters and having uniformed officers in these areas will help

00:09:48.720 deter criminal activity and provide Edmontonians with a sense of safety and security as they go

00:09:55.440 go about their lives. These 50 officers will be permanently funded by the Alberta's government

00:10:00.800 and given the concerning rise in violent crime in the city, we have worked to provide this in-year

00:10:06.340 funding of $8.3 million to get boots on the ground as soon as possible. I will have Chief McPhee

00:10:12.620 speak about when the new officers will be trained, equipped and of course ready to be deployed. I will

00:10:19.280 note that this funding will help cover the costs of the officer's salaries and benefits as well as

00:10:25.000 vital equipment needs like vehicles uniforms radios and of course body warm cameras essential

00:10:30.520 tools to help empower these officers to uphold law and order so let me emphasize edmontonians

00:10:39.000 have an inherent right to walk through the city streets or take public transit without fear

00:10:44.760 i'd like to relay a message to violent criminals in the city of edmonton who wreak havoc on our

00:10:51.240 city streets. You are not welcome here. I know everyone here shares our goal of a safer more

00:10:59.800 secure Edmonton for everyone and with this announcement today we will strengthen the

00:11:04.520 capabilities of our law enforcement partners to stand against the dangers that threaten our peace

00:11:09.800 and safety because police funding matters. But we know we cannot just arrest our way out of this

00:11:16.520 and enforcement is only one part of the strategy that addresses complex and related issues like

00:11:22.040 crime addiction mental health and of course homelessness for the government of alberta that

00:11:26.520 means continuing to invest in addiction mental health services and supports gangs who use violence

00:11:33.320 to prey on vulnerable residents believe that they are untouchable and alberta's government will do

00:11:38.520 whatever it takes to make sure that they end up behind bars in closing i want to extend my gratitude

00:11:44.520 to the edmonton police service for their incredible work that they do to keep our city safe every day

00:11:51.640 i commend them for their tireless work they put in as their lives are in danger

00:11:58.200 at any time they put on their uniform by working hand in hand with eps we are going to take back 0.52

00:12:04.280 our streets from violent criminals one way or another and with that i would say thank you very

00:12:09.720 Thank you very much, and I will now invite Chief McPhee to the podium.

00:12:16.720 Thank you, Minister Ellis.

00:12:18.760 I'd also like to take a minute to thank Chair Antman from our police commission

00:12:22.760 obviously for providing the support to us along with the entire commission

00:12:26.760 and getting us today.

00:12:28.760 I'd like to thank Councillor Hamilton obviously for her support

00:12:31.760 not only as a former commissioner but also as a councillor

00:12:34.760 and of course Alex for the consistency

00:12:37.720 and the persistence of the downtown recovery team because really what we're all here to do is

00:12:41.960 achieve the same common goal today as minister has said eps is taking the next step step in tackling

00:12:49.000 edmonton's high crime areas reckless criminal behavior behavior which obviously a focus on the

00:12:55.320 violence months ago minister ellis committed in helping us hire 50 more officers and i am pleased

00:13:02.680 to stand beside him today as he reaffirms that commitment to safety to say these resources are

00:13:08.280 greatly needed as an understatement in the past year we have watched violent incidents as i

00:13:13.000 mentioned like weapons firearms knives increase at an alarming rate and this is not welcome and must

00:13:19.400 be addressed while there are areas like transit in the downtown core that face the run of it

00:13:25.240 we know that the unacceptable levels of crime and violence are felt in communities across the city

00:13:30.520 as these particular individuals wreak havoc in various areas of our city we don't have to look

00:13:36.280 far to find the names of those who have been victimized or those whose lives have been changed

00:13:41.960 very vocably as the result of violence without a doubt safety is the front of mind for all

00:13:48.520 edmontonians and will continue to be that way make no mistake these 50 officers alone as the minister

00:13:56.440 said will not be a cure-all it does not rest on the shoulders of these consoles alone to solve

00:14:01.960 the problems that have been years in the making but when added to the long list of things eps its

00:14:07.560 partners and other levels of government are doing to improve public safety it will help address the

00:14:13.160 city's more immediate needs while building a system to obviously support the actions

00:14:20.840 at eps we have already started making allotments in our upcoming recruit classes and anticipated that

00:14:26.200 by the end of 2024 we'll have expanded our transit community safety teams from two to six teams of

00:14:32.680 eight officers i also want to make a comment right now that although in the few years of the defund

00:14:39.960 movement our recruiting has went down to below where it ever used to be and now it's trending

00:14:44.680 up very much positively because everybody realizes and recognizes that this is something that we have

00:14:50.680 to get done and we have record numbers of applications for the first time in a long time

00:14:57.000 beyond those specific teams this funding will support more officers to to manage and suppress

00:15:01.960 crime within the transit systems surrounding areas surrounding neighborhoods they will go

00:15:06.200 where they're needed once they're needed and based on the data and evidence and intelligence that we

00:15:12.120 all have in and available to us which as you also are aware we spend a considerable amount of time

00:15:17.560 building a new intelligence system within eps the eps is and always will be data driven an

00:15:23.080 organization when it comes to deployment over resources and the reminder of us all being done

00:15:27.560 on the backdrop of many high profile changes the ups has already made inclusive increases the size

00:15:33.400 of our recruit classes redeploying frontline officers our 10 squad model the healthy streets

00:15:38.440 operation center just to name a few these changes have helped us progress in curbing crime and

00:15:45.240 violence but i know it comes in and no surprise that i still say there is a long way still to go

00:15:51.240 we will and we will continue to be adaptive responsive in our approach to public safety

00:15:56.200 working hard to ensure that our resources are used in the most effective way

00:16:00.280 and keeping evitonians safe but i speak for the rest of the service when i say it's my sincere hope

00:16:07.960 that these resources will obviously accelerate our efforts and i'm very confident that they will

00:16:15.240 but also to help lighten the load of our frontline officers by stemming the flow of crime and disorder

00:16:22.560 originating displaced from transit the downtown core surrounding areas because it is really all

00:16:29.960 about accountability I'd like to extend my gratitude to all those that made today possible

00:16:34.500 for standing beside me in the support of these resources I'd like to thank the citizens of

00:16:38.820 Edmonton for their support in our police service during which was being a very difficult year

00:16:43.680 We have youth in this community that need help, we need

00:16:46.680 support, we need to create that safe environment where

00:16:49.680 it's easy to be livable, affordable and safe.

00:16:52.680 But to use those three words separate is a mistake.

00:16:55.680 They need to be put in the same sentence and today we're

00:16:58.680 talking about safety and we will do our utmost best to

00:17:01.680 actually come back in a year's time with a big difference

00:17:04.680 in some of these numbers.

00:17:06.680 Thank you and again, we'll be open for questions later

00:17:09.680 and I'm going to turn it over to Councillor Hamilton.

00:17:12.680 to Casper Hamilton thank you chief McPhee Edmontonians have been loud and

00:17:23.440 clear that public that safe public spaces are a priority the funding and

00:17:28.820 prioritization of transit centers and the core is an investment in our shared

00:17:33.240 long-term commitment to create a safe and vibrant city in over the past couple

00:17:39.260 of years Edmonton has invested in creating safe public spaces this past fall city council set a

00:17:47.340 funding formula so EPS has reliable funding going forward right now in council chambers

00:17:55.500 council is hearing about the unison downtown program which is a public safety deployment

00:18:00.220 technology there's been Chinatown and downtown vibrancy grants as well as the community outreach

00:18:06.300 transit teams and while there is a general trend on a downward trend on violent crime nonetheless

00:18:13.260 perceptions of safety remain the biggest barrier to getting people back into the core and back

00:18:18.140 onto transit which amongst other things is very important for Edmonton's ongoing economic recovery

00:18:24.780 this will help give certainty to Edmontonians not just in the core but across the city

00:18:31.020 as staffing levels can be stabilized. The accelerated funding means that we can get

00:18:37.260 police on the ground quicker into the city and is a key piece of addressing the chronic safety

00:18:43.340 concerns and working towards our shared goals of public safety. So thank you to the provincial

00:18:50.940 government for continuing to prioritize the safety and well-being of Edmontonians

00:18:55.500 and the community and thank you to the community through which organizations like the downtown

00:19:02.060 recovery coalition as well as many many others have advocated for the safety and livability of

00:19:08.540 our city i'd now like to turn it over to alex hertsu from the downtown recovery recovery

00:19:14.300 coalition to say a few words thank you counselor and chief and minister alice i'm alex hertsu and

00:19:25.180 I'm the chair of the Downtown Recovery Coalition and on behalf of the DRC, a steering committee of

00:19:29.980 over 30 community leaders, property owners, city builders, business owners and not-for-profit

00:19:36.700 representatives, we appreciate the collaborative efforts the Edmonton Police Service and the

00:19:41.180 provincial government have put into addressing high crime areas. We know from other cities that

00:19:46.620 the presence of law enforcement and even proactive policing increases the perception of safety and

00:19:52.140 can reduce incidents of crime and disorder. This investment is a part of a comprehensive approach

00:19:57.580 that includes addressing root causes of crime, fostering community engagement, and providing

00:20:02.540 social services and implementing measures to create more vibrant and public spaces.

00:20:07.420 So we're incredibly appreciative of the effort and the work and the ongoing

00:20:11.900 attention to the downtown core and transit areas. Thank you so much.

00:20:15.020 This brings us to the question and answer portion of our announcement. We do have quite a number of

00:20:24.060 reporters here on the floor. If you have a question, I would just ask you to make your

00:20:28.160 way to the mic, and we'll go to the phone shortly. So we'll lead off with our first question.

00:20:32.360 Perfect. Shalane Skalsky with CTV News here in Edmonton. Either the minister or the chief,

00:20:37.220 just looking for some more clarity in terms of timeline. Chief, you mentioned by the end of

00:20:41.900 We've seen more transit officers, can you confirm that all 50 officers will be trained and deployed by the end of next year?

00:20:47.840 And if that is the case, what do you say to Albertans who say that doesn't do anything to solve the real problems that we're facing right now?

00:20:54.760 Well, first of all, we've already deployed resources into these areas.

00:20:58.200 What we're doing is backfilling some of the other areas.

00:21:00.320 So we've already got a presence in transit.

00:21:02.940 But what we're trying to do now is we went from recruiting class sizes of 32 to 50.

00:21:08.020 So we run three classes a year, so that's an extra 24, sorry, 54 officers a year that we're actually starting to put through recruitment.

00:21:19.060 Plus we're actually, we changed how we actually recruit experienced officers and we've put through 10 this year.

00:21:24.940 Plus we're going to build a step down program of what maybe we just don't need a badge and a gun at.

00:21:30.320 What can we do with the lesser to take duties away?

00:21:32.600 So a very complex answer that I gave you, but we're dealing with it in multiple ways.

00:21:37.760 and this funding allows us to get there and get these bodies back in place as quick as we can

00:21:43.040 with the capacity we have so we're going to fill the capacity of our classes uh in you know in a

00:21:49.120 couple years we'll have all the backfill everywhere but the reality is is these resources are one of

00:21:54.720 those high areas to combat it right now and we've already put a bunch of officers in there so we

00:22:00.160 will continue to do that just for some clarity then the 50 new officers that we're talking about

00:22:04.560 they will all be accounted for, they will all be in positions by the end of next year, is that what you're saying?

00:22:09.560 By the end of next year we should be pretty close depending on how our recruitment classes go,

00:22:14.560 but yes we should be pretty darn close because what that really means is if you do the math,

00:22:19.560 54 additional officers, that's one year, but then it doesn't take into the experienced officer classes

00:22:24.560 and it doesn't take into the step down. All three of those things are where we're going to focus to get those filled, yes.

00:22:31.560 Can I ask a second follow-up just for the minister, unrelated, for a colleague?

00:22:35.080 Sorry, if I could. Just a question for a colleague. I'm wondering if you can provide any

00:22:39.080 details on the treatment centre in Mascochise, Witasquan area and conversations with the province

00:22:43.400 in that regard. No specific update. The only thing I would say is that certainly we're in the

00:22:50.040 process of building 11 world-class treatment centres throughout the province. We are committed

00:22:56.760 to the recovery-oriented system of care, something that has been internationally recognized.

00:23:01.480 And certainly, of course, the Red Deer one opened up. Lethbridge is about to be open,

00:23:09.560 if not mistaken. Of course, we're in the process of building one on the blood reserve,

00:23:13.560 and we have one coming in Siksika Nation, Sutina Nation, Enoch Nation, and again,

00:23:21.400 there's i'm probably missing a few but there's a plethora of ones that are going to be coming here

00:23:25.800 and you know i can tell you anecdotally uh the reports that i've heard coming out of the red deer

00:23:32.680 model has been quite remarkable whether it be from staff or whether coming from

00:23:39.640 the clients themselves i think that there's real hope in understanding that addiction itself is

00:23:45.240 a neurobiological neurobiological illness and that is getting the health care attention that

00:23:50.040 that it deserves in order to get people on a pathway to recovery.

00:23:53.960 Minister, while you're still there, Sarah Ryan, Global News.

00:23:56.500 I just want to be 100% clear.

00:23:58.300 So this is not new officers.

00:24:01.080 This is funding strictly for the officers the province already committed to.

00:24:06.140 Yeah.

00:24:06.520 So, yeah, the money that we committed to, it was an election campaign,

00:24:09.500 so promise made during the campaign.

00:24:11.680 Sure.

00:24:12.540 And so can you talk about this $8.3 million?

00:24:14.900 Is this just for one year or is this funding that will be committed to year after year?

00:24:21.160 We know we've heard from police on how important that commitment is.

00:24:25.080 So as I said during the election campaign, this is meant to be predictable, sustainable

00:24:30.960 funding.

00:24:31.840 We are committed to this on a go-forward basis for both Calgary and Edmonton.

00:24:37.080 Regarding the specifics of the $8.3 million, I'm going to have to defer to the chief on

00:24:41.400 that.

00:24:44.900 So obviously to expedite this, some of the first dollars in will be obviously getting the equipment for them.

00:24:50.400 So we don't have the delay in relation to that.

00:24:52.800 But we've already, as I mentioned earlier, backfilled a lot of those positions into the problem areas.

00:24:57.540 Now we're just going to continue to recruit to backfill that.

00:25:00.160 So we will be able to expedite this just by, as you've heard the minister mention, radios, body cameras, all those things that are obviously required in an officer.

00:25:11.980 So to his point, this is fully funded.

00:25:14.900 My last question, Chief, can you just talk about what changes, if any, we've seen from shifting those officers into the key areas?

00:25:22.280 Yeah, I think the biggest one that stands out is transit.

00:25:26.620 With putting 50 officers in there, we've seen a significant drop in crime level in relation to transit ever since we've been in there.

00:25:33.760 I think that's something we obviously have to maintain because when it gets colder, people will migrate into transit, and we need to continue to do that.

00:25:40.380 but we've seen remarkable one there we've seen some obviously changes in the downtown area since

00:25:45.820 we've gone to the whole safer public spaces in relation to open-air drug use obviously we still

00:25:51.900 got to take some new course of action in relation to encampments and things as cold and not being

00:25:57.900 safe with our partners but we're seeing some major changes in that area where we are really focusing

00:26:03.900 now too though is the resources that we put into the guns and the gun violence and the actual

00:26:09.580 violence on the street is probably our biggest concern right now and back to what the minister

00:26:14.680 was saying earlier that relies heavily on being able to hold some people in jail like whether it's

00:26:20.160 bill c75 or c48 those changes need to come now like i'm not sure what we're waiting for

00:26:26.100 we have way too many people that get picked up for serious serious violent offenses that are out

00:26:31.280 days later and that has to stop for the full fruition of our efforts so that is obviously

00:26:37.140 another area both the province and all the police services across the country are focused on

00:26:43.620 hi keep trying from the edmonton journal i think for the minister um the chief may want to weigh

00:26:48.740 in as well i'm a little confused about the timing as you noted the announcement of this

00:26:54.260 new officers was back before the election we're now in mid-december when you're announcing the

00:26:59.380 funding so i'm wondering what took so long there or has the edmonton police service been able to

00:27:04.420 recruit and move ahead just based on the promise of the funding coming yeah i'll let the chief

00:27:09.780 speak to that uh regarding the but look i mean you know it's it there there aren't 50 you know

00:27:17.620 unemployed police officers that are fully trained sitting on the streets right now that the chief

00:27:22.020 can just hire and and put them up put them to work it takes time to plan it takes time to recruit it

00:27:28.100 takes time to train uh my own experience and i'm sure the chief will supplement this but to really

00:27:33.700 get a fully trained and qualified police officer that can really handle uh any call to service

00:27:39.300 takes about five years so they they have they have they're going as fast as they can they're

00:27:45.620 they're they're moving as far as i'm concerned at a bit i would say light speed i mean 20 years ago

00:27:50.820 when i was when i was applying it might be i think two years before i might get a phone call back

00:27:56.100 quite frankly that i might get hired so the fact that they're recruiting and getting people uh in

00:28:01.860 and they have classes that are ongoing i think is uh remarkable and i appreciate that

00:28:07.140 oops great great question i mean the difference here right now is a promise and now the check

00:28:13.860 has been actually delivered and the reality is as we made obviously plans based on promises

00:28:19.060 now it is we can purchase equipment and we can do some things quicker so what this really does

00:28:24.340 is this expedites everything for us because now we can get a lot of things in place to actually

00:28:29.140 I think it is important for the

00:28:31.180 Edmontonians to know that

00:28:33.180 the Alberta government

00:28:35.180 recognizes that the

00:28:37.180 Alberta government

00:28:38.180 recognizes

00:28:39.180 that we have

00:28:41.180 to fulfill what we have

00:28:43.180 actually been planning.

00:28:45.180 It hasn't changed but the reality is

00:28:47.200 now we have those funds which are

00:28:49.200 extremely beneficial to us.

00:28:51.200 I think you have covered our budget

00:28:53.200 long enough and sometimes we think

00:28:55.200 we have money and then we don't.

00:28:57.160 I think the government recognizes that there are problems from a social civil disorder issue to guns and gangs issue and it's important to let the public know that we are out there, we recognize that, we're supporting our law enforcement community, we're supporting the Edmonton Police Service to make sure that they have the tool from the toolbox in order to protect the citizens of Edmonton.

00:29:19.160 to get that message out.

00:29:20.900 Follow-up, also for the minister,

00:29:23.140 I'm wondering if you could provide an update

00:29:24.940 on a couple of other changes you previously

00:29:27.000 announced.

00:29:28.260 One around the body cams, what's the status

00:29:30.280 report on getting those, and also the

00:29:32.580 new agency to handle police complaints?

00:29:35.380 Well, certainly the new agency

00:29:38.340 to handle the police complaints.

00:29:40.840 That works ongoing.

00:29:42.720 We're still in the process of building it.

00:29:45.460 Again, no simple task.

00:29:49.160 Really, it's taking every complaint system that we have throughout the province and bringing it back into or putting it into one independent agency.

00:29:59.180 So right now, the department has indicated to me that they're on track and that process is still ongoing.

00:30:07.540 In regards to the body cams, yeah, I might have to defer to Chief McPhee because I know he sits on the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police.

00:30:13.880 I would just say that we're still talking with the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police.

00:30:20.460 I still have some, we'll say, ideas.

00:30:25.040 We're kind of limited in scope as far as what vendors that we have available to us.

00:30:30.920 And I think right now there's a bit of a decision that is being made whether the police agencies themselves are going to go in a, we'll say, a certain direction, are going to attempt to procure something.

00:30:43.880 or maybe the province might procure something

00:30:47.320 in order to alleviate some of the costs.

00:30:49.360 Again, that's stuff that is just ongoing at the moment.

00:30:51.820 I know, do you have anything else to add?

00:30:54.060 No.

00:30:55.160 I think just with the complaints of investigation,

00:30:59.200 you know, I know that the ministry is already looking

00:31:01.740 at putting some secondments in there

00:31:04.140 from various sectors to build it.

00:31:06.040 We're getting regular updates.

00:31:07.440 We think it's obviously on task

00:31:09.840 for getting done hopefully in the next year.

00:31:13.880 We have a committee that has begun

00:31:15.920 AACP, as you know, a couple of the

00:31:17.920 organizations of police service already

00:31:19.920 have body cams, so what we're trying

00:31:21.920 to do is for consistency of purposes,

00:31:23.920 we need to make sure that we got one

00:31:25.900 benchmark on how we disclose, how we

00:31:27.900 do all these different things, so those

00:31:29.900 things are being currently worked out.

00:31:31.900 Our anticipation is that hopefully we

00:31:33.900 will be able to make sure that we

00:31:35.900 have one benchmark on how we

00:31:37.900 disclose, how we do all these different

00:31:39.900 things, so those things are being

00:31:41.880 Our anticipation is that hopefully we will go

00:31:44.820 quickly and the province obviously trying to

00:31:47.820 unify that and I think makes it easier for all

00:31:50.660 of us rather than us trying to do it all

00:31:52.760 separately.

00:31:54.120 We will wait for some more direction on that

00:31:56.600 but I think it's getting closer by the day.

00:31:58.840 All right.

00:32:00.340 I don't see any more questions on the floor.

00:32:02.840 We do have a caller on the line.

00:32:05.240 I'll get our operator to put through our first

00:32:07.940 caller for his question.

00:32:09.400 Hello, Minister Ellis. Thank you for taking my question.

00:32:14.400 You spoke about the decline in downtown Edmonton's conditions over the last few years.

00:32:23.400 What do you think is contributing the most to that decline?

00:32:29.400 It's pretty public about this and respectful.

00:32:34.400 I appreciate that there are certain governments that try to implement certain policies.

00:32:42.400 I respect that.

00:32:44.400 The government wins and they try to implement policies.

00:32:48.400 The federal government has taken a bit of a soft on crime approach.

00:32:54.400 The reality is that that soft on crime approach has created an environment that has allowed organized crime to thrive

00:33:03.040 with little or no accountability and this is why you are seeing a lot of the brazen

00:33:11.680 acts of violence that you are seeing not just in alberta but really throughout canada this is why

00:33:17.920 you're seeing shots being fired in malls and and unfortunately people that are being affected by

00:33:26.720 that so um you know i am going to be optimistic in regards to c48 i know the the chief touched on

00:33:35.440 that c48 has received royal assent i have been working with minister amory i have asked him to

00:33:44.160 make sure that we keep statistics on this to find out that is c48 if it is actually going to be

00:33:50.880 impactful to see if those who are violent repeat criminal offenders are actually going to be

00:33:55.840 detained in custody in order to help protect the public and so we're a bit of a wait and see but

00:34:03.760 that being said this is why we're doing all these other initiatives making sure that we're getting

00:34:08.720 you know police officers on the street that we got uh sheriffs of course in the city of edmonton

00:34:14.080 which i'm told are still being quite effective um i've certainly had multiple requests from

00:34:19.360 other jurisdictions throughout alberta uh in regards to that as well so i hope that answers

00:34:24.480 your question um did you have a follow-up question yes my follow-up question is you've spoken multiple

00:34:32.000 times about officer presence and how uh alberta needs more officers in the streets why does 0.80

00:34:40.560 officer presence matter well thanks uh officer president matters because it makes a difference

00:34:46.640 um it makes a difference in a sense that if i am said bad person and i see that police officer

00:34:53.680 walking the beat? Am I less likely to commit a crime? Yeah, the answer is yes. And this is why

00:35:00.560 I've been very vocal about this, certainly since I've been in this position for the last year,

00:35:05.460 probably before that, but I will just say over the last year, I've been saying this is why we need

00:35:09.980 to have a visible officer presence, officers walking the beats, whether it be in Edmonton

00:35:15.320 in the Chinatown area, or the walking the streets of Calgary, whether it be not only on the LRT

00:35:21.020 stations themselves, but riding the cars. People deserve to feel safe. Everyone needs to have a

00:35:31.720 sense of safety. We have all rights. We have a right not to get randomly stabbed. We have a right

00:35:36.420 not to inhale secondhand crystal meth smoke. And this is not something that should be taken for

00:35:42.100 granted. This is something that is very important and that officer presence does make an actual

00:35:46.860 difference and we've seen that uh this concludes our uh announcement that's all the time we have

00:35:51.900 for today i'd just like thank everyone for uh for showing off thank you

00:36:16.860 Canadian Shooting Sports Association. Without the CSSA, our gun rights would have been taken

00:36:25.280 long, long ago. These guys are on the front lines helping to draft smart and intelligent

00:36:31.440 firearms regulations and legislation in Canada, and more importantly, educating the public about

00:36:37.480 how we keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people. We've become a member. It's absolutely

00:36:41.980 worth every penny.

00:36:46.860 Thank you.

Western Standard - December 13, 2023

'Alberta Government's Direct Action To Keep Edmontonians Safe'

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript