Old Strathcona Business Association calls for swifter action to address safety concerns

The Old Strathcona Business Association launched a letter campaign on Tuesday, encouraging the City of Edmonton and the provincial government's Edmonton Public Safety and Community Response Task Force to help make the area safer.

Association executive director Cherie Klassen said support is needed in different ways because economic pressures from the pandemic and inflation have impacted business owners.

"I think for them, it feels like the death by 1000 cuts, and there's only so much capacity they have," she said in an interview Tuesday. 

The association is calling for the formation of an outreach street team and seven-day police patrol to address concerns around social disorder and violent crime.

"The other pieces that we're seeing is a lack of resources for folks, including business owners, when they are having difficult interactions with a marginalized population," Klassen said. 

"They don't know how to navigate that, and there's no place to sort of send those people for resources." 

The letter-writing campaign is a follow-up to efforts that began last summer after the association noticed an influx of broken windows and vandalism in the neighbourhood.

The association advocated to the City of Edmonton for a broken-window grant, which was approved at the beginning of 2023.

Since the grant launched in the spring, the association has received a dozen applications and provided nearly $10,000 in funding to support businesses.

Data from Edmonton Police Service (EPS) show recent spikes in violent crime and crime severity in the city.

Edmonton's violent crime rate, per 100,000 people, increased by 16.5 per cent last year, according to statistics EPS shared in April.

Carolin Maran, EPS communications adviser, said around 15 officers are part of dedicated Whyte Avenue beat teams that patrol the Old Strathcona area five or six days a week, day and night.

"The EPS is aware of the concerns expressed by the Old Strathcona Business Association (OSBA) and understands that businesses and citizens alike are feeling the impacts of rising crime, social disorder, and violence citywide."

The police force said it will continue to "engage collaboratively with key stakeholders like OSBA to discuss progress and solutions."