Edmonton Businesses Want Action From Governments On Social Disorder

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“These people are here to run businesses. They’re not emergency responders, they’re not social workers. And this is significantly having an emotional toll on our businesses.”

Published Jun 25, 2023 • Last updated 4 hours ago • 4 minute read

BIAs Businesses along Stony Plain Road on Friday, June 23, 2023, in Edmonton. Greg Southam-Postmedia Photo by Greg Southam /Greg Southam

With small businesses in Edmonton continuing to struggle with social disorder and crime, the city’s Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) want all levels of government to work together on solutions, including opening more supportive housing.

Businesses in all 13 of Edmonton’s BIAs are feeling the impact, members of council’s executive committee heard at city hall on Friday. Todd Janes, chair of the Edmonton BIA council, said small business owners don’t know what to do or who to call when faced with social disorder. While many are compassionate, they and their employees are poorly equipped to handle what’s happening in front of them when faced with people in crisis, such as someone sleeping in front of their doorways or encampments behind their buildings.

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“These people are here to run businesses. They’re not emergency responders, they’re not social workers. And this is significantly having an emotional toll on our businesses,” he told councillors as the representative of all BIAs.

“Businesses want to operate their businesses, and the obstacles to do this effectively are more than a lot for many. It erodes the tremendous work that the city has done to build a business-friendly Edmonton.”

Businesses are grateful for many city programs which are helping, he said — for example, the work of social agencies, police, the Healthy Streets Operations Centre, and grant programs for painting crosswalks and sidewalks.

But the city, province, and federal governments need to collaborate to find solutions that address the root causes instead of just “triage,” he said.

“I think we’ve seen a fair bit of concentrated efforts around Downtown and Chinatown over the last year. And some of that is: ‘we’re going to collaborate to put sheriffs as well as a paramedic, and others.’ That’s important, but that’s just addressing the crisis right now,” he told Postmedia in an interview.

“We also need to have some smart people starting to look at how we can do certain things that are sustainable, long-term that will address some of these issues.”

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Offering supportive housing and wraparound services may be his number one ask from the provincial government.

More washrooms, ‘hygiene hubs’ needed

On the city’s part, Janes would like to see more public washrooms. He called what happened after mobile washrooms came to a park around the Stony Plain Road BIA, where he is executive director, “amazing” — public defecation and urination reports dropped three-fold within three months of opening in May 2022.

“(At first) people were like ‘why are we putting them here?’ But then they realized, oh maybe less of our customers or non-customers are asking to use their washrooms, or there are fewer accidents,” he said about the reaction among the BIA of which he is the executive director.

“Every time a city-owned facility or park is renovated or created, I think it would be essential that there would be public washroom spaces. I believe firmly that public washrooms are about dignity.”

He thinks “hygiene hubs,” like the one run by the Mustard Seed in McCauley for people to take showers and do laundry, also offers that “pathway to dignity” for people.

The BIAs would also like to see funds for programs spread out across the different areas of the city. For instance, other areas could benefit from enhanced cleaning, police beat patrols, and medical supports responding to drug poisonings, he said.

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Asked what the province will do in response to this call for coordination to solve the root problems including the need for more supportive housing, Hunter Baril, press secretary to Alberta’s ministers of public safety and mental health and addictions, pointed to the task force the province created last year to address safety, homelessness, addictions and mental health.

“Our government has developed relationships with businesses and organizations throughout Downtown Edmonton, which has allowed for strong collaboration on restoring social order,” he wrote.

“Programs such as the sheriff redeployment put more boots on the ground and have allowed for great partnerships with the Edmonton Police Service and Healthy Streets Operation Centre in getting people connected with supports. These programs and investments will have a positive change that will allow businesses to operate without the challenges impacting them today.”

Baril also pointed to funding already allocated to recovery and mental health supports as well as 1,110 new affordable housing units, and 11 planned recovery communities, including one with Enoch Cree Nation.

The City of Edmonton also provides multiple programs and services for BIAs including the storefront improvement program, development improvement program, interior building improvement grant, one-on-one business support, and other various grants like the economic action grant.

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The Vibrant Streets program launched this year to support decorative sidewalks, alleys and sidewalks. The city also covered BIA levies in 2021 (at 100 per cent or $3.3 million) and in 2022 (half at $1.8 million).

Alisa Laliberte, the city’s branch manager for economic investment services, said Edmonton values collaboration with BIAs and the continued advocacy they provide for businesses.

“Our BIAs are an invaluable part of supporting the vibrancy, economic health, and appeal of many of Edmonton’s key commercial areas,” she said. “We’re happy to be able to provide them a range of supports.”

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@laurby

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