Edmonton Downtown Business Association requests federal support

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While downtowns may vary from place to place, the issues plaguing them across the country are the same.

“We’re all having the same conversations, and that’s why it’s important for us to be here talking to the federal government,” said Edmonton Downtown Business Association (EDBA) executive director Puneeta McBryan.

“These are not city issues that are individual cities doing something wrong or under-investing or individual provinces getting it wrong. It is an entire nationwide issue, where the system is right now set up to fail.”

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McBryan was in Ottawa on Tuesday alongside other downtown and main street business groups from across Canada to advocate for more federal support. The groups are under the International Downtown Association (IDA) Canada, which is a national coalition of organizations that support business districts. From east to west, Canada’s downtowns share similar woes, including homelessness, addiction, and mental health crises that all converge in a broader public safety issue.

Through conversations the association had with MPs, McBryan explained they asked the federal government to step in to support and play a larger role in delivering programs and resources to help with the problems afflicting downtowns across the country.

“What we’ve said to all the MPs we’ve met with is that as you prioritize this issue of mental health and social supports and also the issue of public safety, please keep us in mind because we’re here on the ground dealing with these issues day to day,” said McBryan.

In a news release, the association said it has collectively requested that the federal government dedicate additional funding to “address the addictions, mental health and homelessness crises which are impacting every region of Canada.” The association added the federal government should consult with provinces and municipalities to ensure allotted funds are reaching their intended targets and co-operating with existing programs.

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It was the second time McBryan went with the International Downtown Association Canada to Ottawa, and she said the experience was different regarding what the group asked from the federal government, but that Edmonton’s downtown problem was no different from other cities.

“We don’t stand out in the slightest. Honestly, the stories that I hear from my colleagues, you could replace their city name with Edmonton,” said McBryan.

Mental health, addictions, and homelessness are such common problems throughout Canada that McBryan said even MPs weren’t surprised to see the association coming to meet with them because MPs themselves had heard similar complaints from their own constituents.

That said, McBryan did say Edmonton’s downtown density is a different challenge from elsewhere.

“That’s one of our biggest priorities. We need more people in our downtown,” said McBryan.

“This perception of not feeling safe is so much more acute when you don’t have density.”

According to McBryan, all of the conversations with MPs — no matter which party — were productive and encouraging, giving the association a sense that no matter who leads, downtown issues would be addressed.

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“But talk is cheap, so we’ve heard. We’ve had great meetings, we’ve built great relationships. We’ll see where that actually takes us.”

“We need action, not just talk,” said McBryan.

Parliament has listened to the association in the past, taking on some forms of bail reform in Bill C-48, which the association called for previously. The bill received royal assent last year, but McBryan said MPs on this trip to Ottawa acknowledged that there is still more work to be done.

Given the success of some bail reform and other federal housing programs like the Housing Accelerator Fund, McBryan said what the association is asking for is “not impossible.”

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