Western Standard - Boosting public safety in southern Alberta communities

00:00:00.000 Thank you for joining us.

00:00:30.000 Thank you.

00:01:00.000 Thank you.

00:01:30.000 Thank you.

00:02:00.000 All right.

00:02:22.120 Well, good morning, everyone.

00:02:23.540 Thank you all for being here.

00:02:25.120 First, I'd like to acknowledge that I'm speaking to you today

00:02:28.880 from the traditional territory of the signatories of Treaty 7.

00:02:33.200 I also would like to acknowledge the Métis people of Alberta, of course, have a deep connection to this land.

00:02:38.380 I'm pleased to join you today to announce an important step forward to enhance public safety in southern Alberta.

00:02:45.380 Alberta's government knows crime continues to be a significant challenge for many communities,

00:02:51.180 and we are doing everything that we can to make a difference.

00:02:54.160 sometimes our major downtown urban centers get a lot of attention but our rural and mid-sized

00:03:00.720 communities are also seeing concerning trends that's why today we're taking action on providing

00:03:07.280 law enforcement agencies and his necessary tools to combat criminal activity this includes using

00:03:14.080 all means at our disposal to fight crime which is why the safer communities and neighborhoods

00:03:19.920 unit of the Alberta Sheriffs is such a valuable asset. The SCAN unit, as it is also known,

00:03:26.320 uses legal sanctions and court orders to tackle crime by holding owners accountable

00:03:31.040 for illegal activity taking place on their property. Officer presence matters, and the

00:03:37.600 SCAN unit's work deals with the problem of properties, placing legal conditions on the

00:03:43.040 owners aimed at making sure the criminals don't return, and preventing new ones from moving in.

00:03:49.520 the scan unit has already proven to be a valuable tool to address crime in southern alberta

00:03:55.360 between 2019 and 2023 the scan unit in calgary investigated 363 properties

00:04:02.240 in lethbridge which is about 20 percent of its caseload during that period in addition

00:04:07.680 there has been a significant increase in complaints from medicine hat and other southern alberta

00:04:12.720 communities emphasizing the need for increased law enforcement efforts in the region the demand

00:04:18.240 for scans intervention in southern Alberta is evident. So today I am pleased to announce a new

00:04:25.120 team of six scan investigators from the Alberta sheriffs will be based right here in Lethbridge.

00:04:31.760 This is a new regional team that will cover an area roughly bounded by Vulcan to the north,

00:04:38.560 Crowsnest Pass to the west, and the U.S. border to the south, and the provincial boundary with

00:04:43.040 Saskatchewan to the east. This team is dedicated to supporting the local communities, is a tool in

00:04:50.960 the toolbox to help assist with law enforcement. Over the past few months I have spoken about our

00:04:57.920 province's focus on border patrol. We will not allow drug cartels and organized criminals to

00:05:03.840 import illegal drugs and guns and human trafficking which is occurring and coming across the border.

00:05:10.400 Having the SCAN team's jurisdiction go up to two borders will help us combat this. Additionally,

00:05:17.360 basing SCAN investigators in Lethbridge eliminates the lengthy travel time from Calgary,

00:05:21.920 enabling the team to respond promptly to complaints from residents in southern Alberta.

00:05:28.000 When someone calls 911 for help, I expect someone in uniform to show up to answer that call for

00:05:33.280 assistance. This announcement means faster responses and resolutions, ensuring concerns

00:05:39.040 are addressed in a timely manner and providing the support the communities deserve. Today's

00:05:44.320 announcement is in line with our government's plan as announced in budget 2023 to double the

00:05:49.920 size of the scan unit and establish new regional teams in strategic hubs. Lethbridge is the first

00:05:56.880 of these planned regional offices and we're committed to expanding it further. Since its

00:06:02.080 Since inception in 2008, Alberta's scan unit has investigated more than 8,000 properties

00:06:08.960 and issued about 100 community safety orders, exemplifying its steadfast commitment to ensuring

00:06:15.180 community safety. In closing, I want to emphasize that this

00:06:18.780 initiative is a testament to our government's dedication to the safety and well-being of

00:06:23.840 Alberta communities, as well as the important collaboration between our local partners within

00:06:30.660 the municipal government and the police services. Together we will do whatever it takes to keep

00:06:35.740 Alberta safe. It reflects a value we place on partnerships with law enforcement, the

00:06:41.820 importance of addressing the concerns of residents and our commitment to efficient and effective

00:06:48.180 law enforcement. I want to express my gratitude to all the dedicated people who have worked

00:06:52.660 tirelessly to make this new SCAN regional team a reality. Together we're making communities and

00:07:00.440 I would like to ask the Minister of Affordability and Utilities, MLA, for the region, Minister

00:07:08.100 Nathan Newdorf, to provide his remarks.

00:07:11.600 Mr. Nathan Newdorf, MLA for the region, Mr. Nathan Newdorf, to provide his remarks.

00:07:15.600 Thanks, Minister.

00:07:16.600 Great to have you down.

00:07:17.600 It's a fantastic and exciting announcement.

00:07:19.680 It is a long drive from Lethbridge to Calgary.

00:07:23.040 Are the sheriffs going to be patrolling that highway?

00:07:25.040 That's another question.

00:07:26.920 I'm asking for a friend.

00:07:28.920 Good morning, everyone, and welcome. I am pleased to join my fellow Cabinet Minister Mike Ellis, City of Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Higgin, Alberta Sheriff's Deputy Chief Greg Medley, and Lethbridge Police Service Deputy Chief Gerald Grabmeyer for this announcement.

00:07:43.360 Lethbridge in southern Alberta is truly one of the great parts of this country in which to live, and I'm proud to represent the people here and have raised my family in this city.

00:07:51.600 But we are not immune to the major crime issues that have plagued centres all across Canada.

00:07:58.360 And with that, it is our government's commitment to make public safety a major plank in our platform on this recent election.

00:08:05.880 And this announcement shows that we are following through on this promise right here in Lethbridge.

00:08:11.160 Installing a scan unit in Lethbridge represents a major step towards combating crime in this area.

00:08:16.380 It will shrink the response time for these specially trained officers for incidents and calls,

00:08:21.000 not just in Lethbridge but all of southern Alberta.

00:08:24.260 This is not just about addressing symptoms but digging out the root causes of crime in our region.

00:08:29.820 Numbers are startling for Lethbridge.

00:08:31.780 With 363 complaints between 2019 and September 30, 2023,

00:08:37.080 this is about 20% of the cavalry unit's caseload,

00:08:40.640 which is an oversized proportion of what the officers here in Lethbridge would have to handle.

00:08:45.860 So it is critical that these issues continue to be dealt with.

00:08:48.680 Our Lethbridge Police Service does terrific work, and it is this province's government's job to help.

00:08:55.220 By putting more boots on the ground, assisting in investigations, and ensuring the safety of our people however we can, and this is what we are doing.

00:09:02.060 We also know that this is just one part of making our community safer.

00:09:05.460 The provincial government has also stepped up efforts in addiction recovery, which will further contribute to making our streets safer.

00:09:12.440 Albertans should feel safe in their own communities, and today's announcement will aid in that pursuit.

00:09:16.980 And now I'd like to hand the mic over to Greg Medley, the Deputy Chief of our Alberta Sheriffs.

00:09:27.180 Good morning. Thank you, Minister Newdorf.

00:09:29.360 Thanks to everyone for attending today.

00:09:31.940 It is an exciting day for the Alberta Sheriffs and the proud SCAN investigators who work diligently and professionally every day to help keep Alberta safe.

00:09:40.600 As Minister Ellis mentioned, the SCAN unit has done a lot of work in and around the Lethbridge area in recent years,

00:09:45.780 with 363 investigations in the city between 2019 to present.

00:09:52.400 Nine of those cases have resulted in community safety's orders

00:09:55.200 where SCAN investigators from Calgary obtained legal authorization

00:09:59.080 to close properties for a specific period of time.

00:10:02.400 Those are the cases that typically make the news,

00:10:05.500 the ones you hear about when investigators and crews arrive to board up houses

00:10:08.780 and fence off the properties at the end of the investigation.

00:10:12.920 Those successful outcomes are the result of investigations that can be complex and time-consuming.

00:10:18.560 People occasionally comment about the length of time SCAN investigations can take, so it's worth mentioning why.

00:10:25.820 Most of the complaints investigated by SCAN are resolved informally, the vast majority,

00:10:30.820 by working with owners to put an end to the illegal activity on their properties that is causing disruption in the community and neighbourhoods.

00:10:37.500 More extreme cases that are not resolved by informal means like warning letters

00:10:41.500 require more serious action like those nine cases here in Lethbridge that resulted in community

00:10:46.540 safety orders. Taking legal action against someone's property and imposing conditions

00:10:51.100 on their use and occupancy is serious business and doing so quite rightly requires the Alberta

00:10:57.900 Sheriffs to gather sufficient evidence to convince a court that it is absolutely necessary.

00:11:03.420 Gathering evidence to substantiate drug activities of property takes time.

00:11:08.480 That's simply the nature of these type of investigations.

00:11:11.440 Despite the added challenges of travel time between Calgary and the communities in southern Alberta,

00:11:16.140 the scan unit has achieved some very good results in the region.

00:11:19.840 One reason for that success is the strong relationship our investigators have developed with local police,

00:11:25.500 like our fantastic partners here with Lethbridge Police Service.

00:11:28.220 evidence gathered by local police can play an important role in scan investigations

00:11:33.460 police in turn can often use evidence gathered by scan investigators to bolster their criminal

00:11:38.160 investigations and lay criminal charges the scan units work with police has been in many cases an

00:11:44.240 effective combination for putting a stop to criminal activity that has plagued some

00:11:48.180 neighborhoods for long periods of time with the addition of six investigators here in southern

00:11:53.120 alberta we are looking forward to strengthening our partnerships with the police in lethbridge

00:11:57.400 Medicine Hat, Tabor, and in the communities policed by the RCMP.

00:12:02.180 Being physically located in Southern Alberta will help investigators deepen their knowledge of local issues,

00:12:08.100 improve our connection with the communities we serve.

00:12:11.400 Our relationship with the community is such an important part of the work we do.

00:12:15.640 While SCAN investigations provide the community with a valuable tool for combating illegal activity,

00:12:20.760 it is equally true that the community is a vital resource for the SCAN unit.

00:12:24.160 citizens are our eyes and ears the starting point for scan investigations is generally a complaint

00:12:31.280 from the member of the public being actually located in the community is an exciting opportunity

00:12:36.560 to build on the success we've had in southern alberta our investigators based here in lethbridge

00:12:41.840 started the week of november 6 and i know in speaking with them they're looking forward to

00:12:46.000 making a positive difference in the communities around the region for anyone who wants to learn

00:12:51.120 more about the scan unit and the work it does or if you have concerns about illegal or problem

00:12:55.680 properties in your community you can find more information and file a complaint online by

00:13:00.960 visiting alberta.ca backslash report suspicious property with a hyphen between reports suspicious

00:13:08.160 and property or call 1-866-960-7226 thank you for your time i'd like to invite mayor higgin

00:13:18.160 to provide some remarks okay and thank you for having me be here today i'm i'm joined by my

00:13:27.520 colleagues uh acting mayor middleton hope councillor paladino and councillor schmidt

00:13:31.760 rempel thank you very much for being here this announcement is truly exciting when i ran for

00:13:38.240 mayor i and many others said the community safety was our number one priority today's announcement

00:13:45.040 is a gigantic step forward to follow up on that.

00:13:49.400 Scan, as we hear so often,

00:13:52.660 is safer communities and neighborhoods,

00:13:54.840 and that's what we're working towards.

00:13:57.800 Having a scan unit dedicated to southern Alberta

00:14:00.280 will be absolutely a game-changer.

00:14:03.900 Quicker response times,

00:14:05.720 much higher investigative intelligence,

00:14:07.700 and make no mistake,

00:14:09.820 drug houses and drug dealers

00:14:10.860 are not welcome in Lethbridge.

00:14:14.400 Scan holds owners accountable for activity taking place on their property

00:14:20.720 and supports landlords by removing problem tenants.

00:14:25.780 Scan frees up valuable police resources, allowing our LPS to focus on the people involved.

00:14:31.020 Together, they are a powerful team.

00:14:35.020 Most importantly, Scan empowers citizens to make their community a safer place to live in.

00:14:40.780 This is a complaint-driven process, and your identity will not be disclosed.

00:14:46.160 This is your chance to speak up and be heard without fear.

00:14:51.180 Let me be clear.

00:14:53.920 Together, with the support of the Lethbridge Police Service,

00:14:58.440 we will not tolerate lawlessness in our community.

00:15:03.760 Our city needs to be a safe place for all.

00:15:06.840 In closing, Minister Ellis and I have been discussing the need and the possibility of a scan for quite a while.

00:15:13.700 He made me promise to follow through on implementing the program here.

00:15:17.140 I want to thank him for his perseverance and persistence in making this a reality.

00:15:22.460 Thank you.

00:15:22.880 Thank you.

00:15:29.920 Good morning.

00:15:33.760 Thank you, Minister Ellis and Deputy Chief Medley.

00:15:36.840 for this extremely welcome and necessary addition to enhance public safety in our city and throughout

00:15:42.600 southern alberta our officers have a very strong relationship with scan and we are looking forward

00:15:48.360 to increased opportunities for further partnership and collaboration as we've worked together to

00:15:53.800 disrupt criminal activity and shutter problem properties and ensure our neighborhoods are safe

00:16:00.840 over the past few years the calgary-based scan team has had a significant impact on

00:16:05.880 addressing crime and legal activities in the city of lethbridge and other communities throughout 0.98

00:16:11.160 the region we appreciate all they have done and are very confident the presence of a lethbridge

00:16:17.240 based team will continue to build on that momentum when criminals take over a property in a

00:16:23.480 residential neighborhood there is an extremely detrimental effect we have heard from good law

00:16:29.640 abiding citizens who live next door and in a word it's hell no one should be

00:16:35.880 confronted by criminal activities right on their doorstep and no one should be

00:16:40.980 afraid in their own homes the sanctions and court orders used by scan to

00:16:46.200 directly hold property owners accountable stop illegal activity remove

00:16:51.000 criminals and prevent new ones from moving in is critical to community

00:16:55.620 safety and security. Increased scan intervention will greatly enhance

00:17:00.220 neighbourhood safety in Lethbridge and other communities across southern

00:17:03.680 Alberta. On behalf of LPS, we want to extend our appreciation to the Alberta

00:17:09.240 government for providing these valuable investigators to help break the cycle of

00:17:13.800 crime and take back our neighbourhoods. The message is clear. There's a new

00:17:18.420 neighbour in town. Scan has moved in and it's time for those engaged in criminal

00:17:23.580 activity to stop. We encourage anyone who needs assistance with problem property to

00:17:29.340 contact us. We will work with community members and in partnership with SCAN to ensure appropriate

00:17:35.680 enforcement actions are taken.

00:17:47.280 This brings us to the question and answer portion of our announcement. We do have some

00:17:51.840 media on the floor and on the lines. I just asked media on the floor and on the

00:17:56.820 line that you ask one question with a follow-up question and if we could keep

00:18:01.260 it focused on the scan announcement. So we'll head to the floor first. Are there

00:18:05.400 any questions? It's just a mic to your left.

00:18:14.840 Micah Quinton from Global Lethbridge. Question for Minister Ellis. Maybe just

00:18:21.220 talk a little bit more about costs for this specific unit coming to Lethbridge and Region 2?

00:18:26.940 Well, we set aside money on a budget 2023. Obviously, you know, public safety was a

00:18:34.940 significant issue, not just before the election, but during the election and of course after the

00:18:39.920 election. And so we made sure the necessary funds were in place. I don't have this specific number

00:18:45.660 for you, but I'm sure we can get that for you. But, you know, we talked about doubling the size

00:18:50.040 of our scan teams. We talked about hubs. This is going to be the first hub, which is in Lethbridge

00:18:54.880 area. I know that we're looking at other jurisdictions all throughout Alberta. You know,

00:19:00.920 just off the top of my head, you know, Red Deer seems to be an area that I think is worth looking

00:19:07.860 at, and some areas in northern Alberta as well. I mean, it goes back to response times, right?

00:19:13.620 You know, sure, it's nice having officers deployed from Calgary and Edmonton, but do they get there

00:19:18.420 quick enough the answer is no right so making sure that we have uh consistent service throughout the

00:19:23.220 province of alberta that's what we're trying to do from a public safety perspective uh just to

00:19:27.940 follow up to you you mentioned calgary edmonton um there has been obviously a rise in violent crime

00:19:33.300 there too um is the province actively addressing this and what's being done to to curb this crime

00:19:38.820 too yeah uh thanks uh thanks very much for the question but thanks for also recognizing that i

00:19:43.620 I mean, as I already mentioned, public safety is a significant issue prior to the election, during the election, of course, even after the election.

00:19:52.360 Look, I have not, I've been very vocal about this.

00:19:57.920 You know, all of us as provinces are very much united on this issue where it comes back to Bill C-75, where it made it virtually impossible to keep people in what is known as pretrial custody.

00:20:09.840 So that's one component of it.

00:20:11.320 The paradigm shift that we're doing here in Alberta, right, where the police are not an arm of the state, but instead an extension and a reflection of the community that they serve.

00:20:21.100 I mean, the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit is a perfect example of that.

00:20:25.560 It's about going in, understanding that there is a problem property recognized by community members.

00:20:31.580 And I know this because I used to be a community liaison officer when I was in the Calgary Police Service, one of the many hats that I wore.

00:20:37.820 And having the ability for the Lethbridge Police Service to call on the Sheriff's Department to say, hey, this is a problem that we have and we need some extra attention on it, that is going to have a significant ripple effect throughout the community, right?

00:20:53.860 So that means whether drugs are being funneled through there, whether stolen property is being funneled through there, whether illegal guns are being funneled through there.

00:21:02.260 These are some of the things that we're talking about here.

00:21:05.200 But in regards to, you know, Calgary, look, it's deeply concerning for me. I live in Calgary. We're all from Alberta. We're all Canadians. And to see this rise in violent crime, let me be clear here, we're doing what we can to tackle organized crime.

00:21:21.940 There's an enormous investment that we've made with Alert. There's enormous investment we've made

00:21:25.940 to support our sheriffs, to augment and support both our RCMP friends as well as the Edmonton

00:21:33.940 Police Service. I certainly wish that the Calgary Police Service would ask us again for some more

00:21:40.520 assistance. We're happy to provide them assistance because officer presence matters. People need to

00:21:45.760 feel safe in their communities. And there also has to be a level of accountability. You heard me

00:21:49.920 talk about bill c75 you know i hate to say this but you know people who are offenders need to

00:21:56.460 understand that there are consequences for their actions and right now when you're seeing the rise

00:22:01.180 in violent crime that we're seeing right now we're in broad daylight there are shootings going on in

00:22:06.560 in not just in parking lots but in you know community where where there's where there's

00:22:11.420 children and where there's uh families i mean why are they doing that reality is because they feel

00:22:19.160 there's no consequences so as i have said to all these law enforcement officers do your job when

00:22:26.600 somebody commits a crime i expect you to arrest them if the system lets them lets that person out

00:22:31.880 and they commit another crime i expect you to arrest them again so i ask the prosecutors to

00:22:37.640 do their job as well and you let myself and my colleagues and the premier worry about the federal

00:22:42.120 government to see if we can get some harsher laws on the table here

00:22:44.760 do we have any more uh questions from the floor yeah you can go ahead

00:22:52.280 uh quinn keenan ctv news uh just um asking specifically about why a scan unit and not

00:23:03.160 uh maybe another uh kind of a law enforcement unit what made the scan unit the best option

00:23:08.480 here for lethbridge and the lethbridge region well i think there's there's a couple things i

00:23:13.560 I mean, once you're, I know one of the conversations the mayor and I were having were just about officer presence, right?

00:23:18.260 So, look, I mean, I'm sure the deputy chief and his colleagues are doing their best to hire as many sheriffs as possible.

00:23:25.440 I can tell you that the demand is kind of outweighing our ability to even do the hiring, quite frankly.

00:23:31.740 We have many mid-sized communities, small communities asking for a sheriff's presence all throughout Alberta.

00:23:39.960 Again, this is why we're augmenting and supporting our RCMP, but we're doing what we can.

00:23:45.440 In regards to the scan team, again, it goes back to my answer earlier.

00:23:49.760 When I was a community liaison officer and you would get multiple complaints about a specific residence,

00:23:57.800 it's very time-consuming.

00:23:59.320 It's not as simple as one constable or a couple constables working on it for a day or two.

00:24:04.720 These are lengthy investigations with many court applications, warrants, whatever the case may be, to determine what impact that that residence is having on the community from drugs and guns and sometimes human trafficking to whatever the illegal activity is going on.

00:24:27.260 So when you focus in on shutting down one of those types of residents, boy, the ripple effect on the community is exponential in a positive way.

00:24:38.460 Yeah, and just to follow up, seems like today's announcement is focused primarily on southwestern Alberta.

00:24:43.940 Is there any plans in the future for a similar unit or just any sort of law enforcement team coming to southeastern Alberta?

00:24:51.140 So this particular unit is going all the way to the, I think, the Saskatchewan border.

00:24:58.360 So the answer is maybe.

00:25:01.980 These guys are going to go and they're going to assess the situation and figure out what the need is.

00:25:06.500 And certainly, as the Premier and I have said on multiple occasions, we're going to do whatever it takes to keep Albertan safe.

00:25:12.860 If the sheriffs come back to me and there is a need for a specific team in southeastern Alberta,

00:25:18.940 then certainly we'd be open to the conversation.

00:25:21.300 Thank you.

00:25:21.920 Yeah, thank you.

00:25:23.200 We'll take one more question from the floor,

00:25:25.820 and then we'll head to the phones.

00:25:27.860 Osei Reto with CBC Lethbridge.

00:25:29.700 My question is actually for Officer Graubmeier.

00:25:32.380 I'm curious if you could speak to how the presence of these six SCAN officers

00:25:36.080 is going to free up LPS officers

00:25:38.920 and what that actually allows you to do as a police force

00:25:41.200 with them taking off some of that load.

00:25:44.020 Absolutely. Thank you.

00:25:45.660 With SCAN being here, it's a definite force multiplier

00:25:48.640 for us there are these types of investigations where we just do not have the the resources for

00:25:53.840 and as the minister stated they are lengthy investigations in order to to shut down a house

00:25:59.600 that takes those probably hundreds of hours of of person hours to to do that which we simply don't

00:26:06.400 have the resources for and some of that is on the civil side which is not our expertise as we deal

00:26:12.640 with the with with criminal matters so although we can deal with the drug house as a criminal

00:26:18.960 investigation because obviously any crim criminal activity the police certainly can can and do deal

00:26:24.080 with it but we don't have the authority than the power to actually close that house down or deal

00:26:28.800 with the the property owners to to ensure that criminal activity stops there and that's where scan

00:26:35.040 has the expertise that we we don't so by them taking over some of those houses from us and

00:26:40.720 allowing our investigators then to move on to different different matters and perhaps dealing

00:26:45.760 with the more mid to higher higher level drug dealers we can start working on trying to prevent

00:26:51.200 the drugs from actually coming into lethbridge as opposed to dealing with them once they're already

00:26:55.920 in in lethbridge that then keeps trickling down throughout throughout the the organization and

00:27:01.360 allows our our frontline police officers to spend more time having that officer presence that the

00:27:06.960 minister talked about and what we hear about so often in lethbridge is ultimately people want to

00:27:11.840 see police officers on the street and it's what we're trying to provide them so this again adds

00:27:16.560 those resources to us to allow us to be more more present in the community at the end of the day

00:27:23.440 our citizens don't care who does the enforcement they just want something done so whether that's

00:27:28.640 scan whether that's lps whether that's alert rcmp bylaws it's irrelevant our citizens just want

00:27:36.400 something done so this is going to help us do that okay that's it for the questions to the floor

00:27:43.600 uh we'll head to the phones now can you put through the uh the first caller i'd like to remind

00:27:48.320 you that it's uh one question one follow-up thank you naz bender ptv hi this is a question for

00:27:57.280 minister ellis um i'm just uh wondering what your reaction was when you heard about the killing of

00:28:02.160 uh known gangster uh harper poland the intentional killing of his 11 year old son

00:28:08.640 well um you know first of all killing of any child is is uh horrific uh it's outrageous it's

00:28:18.240 unacceptable um you know i have full faith in the edmonton police service to conduct

00:28:23.760 their investigation to find out whoever is responsible for this and that they be held

00:28:34.000 accountable. But it goes back to what I was mentioning earlier. I mean, the level of gang

00:28:40.420 violence that is going on throughout, not just in Alberta, but quite frankly, throughout Canada

00:28:48.440 is intolerable, not just for Albertans, but quite frankly, for Canadians.

00:28:53.760 And something needs to be done about this.

00:28:56.300 Quite frankly, when I was at the federal provincial

00:28:59.400 territorial meeting, the question was asked,

00:29:01.700 what can they do to help?

00:29:03.660 Well, first of all, at the very minimum,

00:29:05.740 get C-48 passed.

00:29:07.200 But that certainly hasn't happened at this particular time.

00:29:09.400 But the second thing is,

00:29:11.080 help us fund our battle against organized crime.

00:29:15.640 That is something the federal government can do

00:29:17.280 to help with these rising violent crimes

00:29:22.280 crimes that are occurring right throughout this province.

00:29:27.540 As a follow-up, these organized crime groups involved in this type of violence, it seems

00:29:34.520 they're provincial.

00:29:36.080 Are you working with other provinces and how so?

00:29:39.160 Yeah, I mean, certainly, I mean, all the police services with me right here, I mean,

00:29:43.960 they're a part of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team.

00:29:47.340 Our alert team, which we have invested an enormous amount of money,

00:29:53.940 but I would say in addition, I think we did about approximately $50 million extra,

00:29:58.300 but it was to combat organized crime.

00:30:01.060 I mean, you're seeing that.

00:30:02.920 I mean, there was, I think, a bust up in Red Deer, I think it was,

00:30:06.020 where $2 million guns and drugs were taken off the streets.

00:30:12.540 So, yeah, I mean, and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team,

00:30:16.340 are extremely well connected to law enforcement,

00:30:20.080 not just in British Columbia, right throughout Canada,

00:30:22.220 and quite frankly, right throughout the United States,

00:30:25.300 whether it be the DEA or the Secret Service

00:30:30.300 or really any agency within the United States

00:30:33.220 and then local states,

00:30:36.160 especially the ones that are right below us in Montana

00:30:39.760 as such, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team

00:30:42.440 is constantly working with neighboring law enforcement.

00:30:46.340 Just ask the operator to put through the next caller.

00:30:52.340 Jonathan Bradley, Western Standard.

00:30:55.340 Hello, Minister Ellis. Thank you for taking my question.

00:30:58.340 So, my first question for you is, there was a shooting at Marlboro Park a few days ago in Calgary involving an 18-year-old and a 14-year-old who perpetrated it. What do you think?

00:31:14.340 I'm sorry, you cut out there.

00:31:17.040 Could you repeat the question?

00:31:17.960 Okay.

00:31:18.600 So there was a shooting in the Marlboro area of Calgary a few days ago

00:31:26.040 where the perpetrators were a 14-year-old and an 18-year-old.

00:31:31.280 What do you think about that?

00:31:34.420 That's a pretty broad question.

00:31:35.960 Well, first of all, the fact that there was a shooting certainly is unacceptable.

00:31:42.260 The fact that we have, you know, young people, 14 and 18 year olds, you know, that is, you know, I think that should be concerning to us as, quite frankly, as Albertans, as a society, as Canadians.

00:31:58.540 You know, why did this happen?

00:32:00.940 Your answer is, quite frankly, as good as mine.

00:32:06.140 I will say this, because as I was, as many of you know, we're part of the Calgary Police Service for a number of years.

00:32:12.260 And part of the paradigm shift that we're doing, which is that we are not an arm of the state, that we are indeed an extension or reflection of the community that we serve, is to make sure that we are, you know, in the community, a part of the community, that people need to know if they need help, that the police are there to help to respond.

00:32:32.640 So I can tell you the Calgary Police Service, I don't believe they've changed this, but they have community liaison officers with every diverse group that is even conceivable to make sure that community members understand the police, not just in Calgary, but all throughout Alberta.

00:32:53.560 because I know I've had conversations with the Edmonton Police Service and certainly those in

00:32:58.200 the Lethbridge and, you know, RCMP is, again, that paradigm shift so that everybody understands

00:33:03.920 that the police are there to help, not to do anything. So, you know, in regards to the

00:33:08.580 investigation itself, I mean, it's actually horrific that there was a shooting. It's horrific

00:33:13.640 that there's two young people involved. You know, this is the sort of stuff that, you know,

00:33:18.820 is unacceptable in our province. And I just know that we're going to continue to do what

00:33:23.540 whatever it takes to keep all Albertans safe.

00:33:26.760 My second question is, with the expansion of the scan units, obviously it's going to

00:33:37.440 be taking on different forms of crime than some of the other policing units in Alberta.

00:33:45.800 Where do you stand right now on implementing a provincial police force?

00:33:49.160 Well, that hasn't changed.

00:33:51.700 decision has been made on that. We are continuing to work with all municipalities. There is a wide

00:34:00.420 array of opinions on this. Again, everything from status quo to regional police service to

00:34:09.220 municipal police services to the provincial police service. This is why we have encouraged any

00:34:16.820 municipality any uh community to uh take one of the uh police transition grants that we have made

00:34:25.620 available to all communities where an independent study can be done to find out what is the service

00:34:32.980 that is going to best serve their community if it comes back and it says status quo then that's

00:34:38.740 that's fine if it comes back and says something else then we are happy to work with ever with

00:34:44.180 any community to do what is ever in their best interest for their community.

00:34:49.300 That's all the time we have for today. I'd like to thank you all for coming. Thank you.

Western Standard - November 16, 2023

Boosting public safety in southern Alberta communities

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript