An Edmonton city councillor choked back tears during a Wednesday council meeting where he said the city has done everything it can to tackle homelessness before calling on the Alberta government for help.
Councillors were debating a motion to have the city work with the province on a transition strategy for housing and homelessness services funded by the city but fall under provincial jurisdiction.
“I’ve been sitting here for 10 years, waiting for something that will get better, and it’s exhausting because people keep losing their lives,” said Coun. Andrew Knack, his voice breaking.
“I just would like to see something that actually moves us in a direction that can help fix this because after sitting here for 10 years, I have nobody to blame but myself that we’re not where we need to be.”
Speaking to Global News on Thursday, Knack said 302 people died on the streets of Edmonton in 2023, a massive increase from the 37 deaths reported in 2019.
He said council has provided millions of dollars in funding for patchwork solutions to homelessness, most of which do not fall under the city’s jurisdiction, but the work is not being coordinated with the province.
According to Homeward Trust Edmonton, between 1,400 and 1,700 supportive housing units are needed to address the current state of homelessness in Edmonton.
“We still don’t have a clear plan from the provincial government who … could, if they wanted to, today approve enough funding to build enough housing across this province,” Knack said.
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“It just feels like, no matter who’s the mayor, no matter who’s the premier something isn’t getting done.”
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Knack said Wednesday’s motion, which carried unanimously, aims to ensure the right governments are investing in the proper supports to achieve the same goal.
He noted the city could invest more money in enhancing transit service so lower-income Edmontonians can access better job opportunities.
“Those are complementary services to each other, but right now we’re taking money that should be invested in municipal services and investing in things that are provincial services,” Knack said.
He said the city will always play a role in tackling homelessness but is pushing for the province to play a bigger role.
Heather Jenkins, press secretary for municipal affairs minister Ric McIver, responded to Knack in a statement to Global News.
“If the City of Edmonton sends an itemized list of all programs and services that they are asking the province to consider funding, we will review their request and discuss a path forward with the City,” she said.
Knack said the province’s response is encouraging.
“Even just acknowledging that they’d like to see that, to me, is an acknowledgment that they know we’re nowhere near where we should be,” he said.
Nadine Chalifoux, chair of the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, told Global News that the city’s motion is passing the buck onto the province, calling it irresponsible.
She believes the city should be responsible for tackling homelessness locally.
“You can’t just say these aren’t our citizens. You have to hold responsibility for your own citizens,” Chalifoux said.
“You’re elected by them, you need to be held accountable for that. Passing this kind of power to the province, who already has some power issues, is not going to help the people of Edmonton.”
She said Knack is very active in trying to solve the city’s homelessness crisis, but she doesn’t believe the entire council is fully on board.
Council should be responsible for ensuring homelessness is dealt with appropriately, she said, adding that the province should only step in if the city requires funding to make sure services are available.
All three levels of government need to have a sense of responsibility when it comes to housing and homelessness, Chalifoux said.
“When it comes to homeless encampments (and) homeless services that are required, these are the responsibilities of our city,” she said.
“So the fact that (council) passed that unanimously just means that they don’t want to deal with it and that’s not a positive message to be sending to citizens of Edmonton.”
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