Edmonton city council approves reallocating $5M for more transit peace officers

Mrinali Anchan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 8:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

City assembly volition redirect $5 cardinal to place more transit bid officers astatine LRT stations passim Edmonton, to try to code societal upset and crime.

Council had asked metropolis medication to further analyse the implications of reallocating portions of the existing, ongoing backing for commissionaires. In a report, medication outlined 5 options, the default being that assembly redirect spending for much officers.

But Wednesday's assembly gathering saw robust debate, after Coun. Anne Stevenson projected a question that, if it had passed, would person divided backing betwixt deploying much officers and implementing a information attendant program — another enactment medication raised that could improve information and the public's cognition of safety.

The program would connection "a consistent beingness successful stations, a affable helping manus erstwhile needed, and accrued cleanliness — which has a immense interaction connected cognition of safety," Stevenson said. 

Over the past respective years, assembly and metropolis medication have focused connected transit information and information done measures similar adding more uniformed security, associated deployment and assemblage outreach teams, better cleaning, installation upgrades and esthetic changes similar murals and different art.

Edmonton Police Service information shows the mean transgression severity astatine LRT stations and transit centres decreased by six per cent last year, though calls for services astatine those locations roseate by 12 percent. 

A March report from metropolis medication recovered galore Edmontonians inactive don't consciousness harmless taking transit, contempt ridership increasing by 15 per cent successful 2024.

Commissionaires, who bash information work, don't person enforcement authorization transit bid officers do, but they tin administer naloxone in the lawsuit of a cause overdose. Commissionaires reported information incidents astir astatine respective Capital Line LRT stations — including Central, Churchill and Southgate — and the Kingsway/Royal Alex Station.

In the report, medication suggested redirecting backing to hire 30 much transit bid officers, which would increase the full deployed passim Edmonton to 126.

During Wednesday's meeting, councillors discussed however officers could beryllium utilized to code information and the public's cognition of safety. 

WATCH | Do Edmontonians consciousness harmless taking transit? 

Stevenson's question was defeated 4-8. Some councillors argued that splitting backing betwixt 2 initiatives would beryllium little effective.

When asked by the metropolis successful an online survey successful 2024, about 61 per cent of respondents said they felt harmless utilizing transit — astir the aforesaid arsenic successful the 2023 survey, that suggested 60 per cent of respondents felt safe.

Coun. Aaron Paquette voted successful favour, saying it could address safety immediately.

"It takes clip to bid [transit bid officers], and it doesn't instrumentality arsenic overmuch clip for a information attendant program. So if we privation to spot immoderate contiguous action, that's however we bash it," Paquette said.

But Coun. Andrew Knack, who voted against the motion, said the further 30 officers wouldn't assistance radical consciousness safer.

"We're benignant of kidding ourselves, close now, if that's going to beryllium the large factor, " Knack said, adding that the metropolis would inactive beryllium abbreviated officers.

"All we're talking astir is reallocating $5 million. In a script similar what we're facing, alternatively of doing either occupation somewhat OK, I'd alternatively bash 1 of them comparatively much OK."  

Coun. Karen Tang besides voted down the motion, contempt noting that assembly has often discussed transit information and that it is "very prominent" successful her ward of Karhiio, done which runs the Valley Line Southeast LRT.

"The information doesn't truly amusement a batch of those stations arsenic a hotspot conscionable yet — and I volition worry, without proactive measures, that 1 day, they volition go a blistery spot," Tang said.

"But I truly don't privation america to get there."

Tang enactment guardant a consequent motion, asking medication to stitchery accusation tied to measuring however implementing transit bid officers would interaction information and the cognition of it.

The question passed.