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No matter where you live in Edmonton, you and your loved ones deserve to feel safe.

Despite reports that Alberta is becoming safer, many Edmontonians are not feeling that way. Across our city, communities are grappling with escalating challenges related to crime, social disorder, vulnerability, and instability. 

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Let's talk about it.

Responsibility & Jurisdiction

Community safety is a collective responsibility

Federal, provincial and municipal governments are all involved in advancing community safety and well-being. The overlapping roles and responsibilities of different governments pose challenges to addressing the already difficult issue of community safety and well-being. Social issues are often experienced in local ways and reported to local (municipal) government, regardless of whether there is municipal responsibility.​​​

While the federal government may spend in other fields, it can only legislate under its own jurisdiction. Federal jurisdiction includes:

  • ​Criminal Law

  • Immigration

  • Indigenous peoples; reserves

  • Defence

  • International relations

  • Border control

  • Unemployment insurance

  • Human rights law

  • ​Internet & telecoms regulation

  • Banking, lending, mortgages

  • RCMP

  • National parks

  • Inter-provincial transit and roads

  • Air traffic and airports

  • International trade

  • Quarantine

  • Official languages

  • Sets national housing strategies and priorities

  • Funds affordable housing programs including social housing, subsidized housing, and homelessness initiatives

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“Help is on the way soon.”

Almost two years ago, Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said, “Help is on the way soon.”

 

Unfortunately, Alberta’s homelessness and opioid crises have only worsened since, affecting every corner of our city. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton is up 47%, and a record high number of people died of overdose last year in Alberta.

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​The costs and consequences of provincial inaction on these critical files has had a profound impact on daily life in our city.

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Ideally, in this complex intergovernmental environment, the City would be able to focus on optimizing its contribution within the interconnected and evolving system. However, any one change to the system can affect the whole system.

 

When such disconnected changes to the system arise, the municipality can be left to put stop gap measures in place to address the immediate needs, but without having the capacity to address the underlying issues.

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