Province to appoint more members to Edmonton Police Commission

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Changes are at play for the Edmonton Police Commission, as Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis signalled his intent Wednesday to add more provincial appointees.

In a letter sent to Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, Ellis said in accordance with the Police Act, it’s his responsibility to keep Alberta communities safe and secure “by ensuring adequate and effective policing is maintained throughout the province.”

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Ellis cites provincial help to address elevated levels of crime and social disorder in the downtown core, transit corridors, and in other high-risk locations.

“The Government of Alberta has and continues to provide funding for an additional 50 new street-level police officers for the city of Edmonton. This is in addition to other initiatives and funding such as the Alberta transit safety/cleanup grant. While we have seen progress and results regarding disorder, it is incumbent on us to ensure progress continues within the city of Edmonton,” Ellis wrote, calling on provincial power from the Police Act allowing the minister of public safety and emergency services to directly appoint provincial appointees to municipal police commissions.

“Today, I am advising that it is my intention to proceed with additional provincial appointments to the Edmonton Police Commission. This is considered necessary in order to urgently and positively impact community safety in the city of Edmonton. I will follow up with further details in the coming days pertaining to the number of appointments and their terms,” Ellis wrote, assuring Sohi his ministry is “committed to supporting the City of Edmonton in efforts to ensure communities are safe and secure.”

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The letter coincided with Wednesday’s news of the Feb. 21 resignation of Chief Dale McFee.

Edmonton Coun. Michael Janz of Ward Papastew responded with concern over Ellis’s plan to appoint “even more” provincial appointees — the commission currently has three of 12 commissioner slots provincially appointed.

“This will solidify the UCP control of police commissions as well as assurance for the current Chief Dale McFee, who attends provincial cabinet meetings and is very connected to the UCP,” Janz wrote.

“This would also be advantageous for the province when the current chief’s contract expires and a new chief is being sought in terms of ensuring loyalty.

“This is deeply concerning from an ‘independence of policing’ perspective as the Edmonton taxpayer pays almost the entirety of the provincial policing budget. The province contributes very little, even to pay costs for their own impositions such as body cams,” Janz wrote.

In his blog, Janz quoted the 2023 EPS annual report.

“Police in democracies need to be both free from political interference and accountable to the public. To balance these needs, Alberta’s Police Act requires that the city council appoint an independent police commission for the police to report to, instead of reporting directly to council,” the report states.

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“While the council still approves the total police budget, only the Edmonton Police Commission can direct how the budget is spent. The commission also supervises the police chief, sets police policies, and monitors the police conduct complaint process.”

“This is not going to help my constituents feel safer,” Janz wrote.

“Of course, city council has asked for more support and services such as criminal justice reform. We want more judges and Crown prosecutors, not more provincial police commissioners.”

The commission also includes two Edmounton councillors, currently Anne Stevenson and Jo Anne Wright.

Hot topic

Public safety is a hot topic with Janz, who acknowledged public safety is “complex” in a Nov. 16 blog about inmates released from the federal Bowden Institution being resettled 184 km away in Edmonton, not much closer in Calgary or Red Deer.

“According to the fiscal gap report provided by city administration, immediate action by our provincial and federal government (those who operate the prisons and the courts) is needed to further avoid worsening a concentration of criminality and support a safer Edmonton for everyone,” Janz wrote.

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“The large concentration of prisons in metropolitan Edmonton, coupled with high rates of recidivism, drives additional demand for police services In Edmonton. I’ve only been a city councillor for three years and in that time I’ve watched the police budget grow almost 20 per cent, but this shouldn’t be a cost that Edmontonians cover alone. This is yet another example of the deck being stacked against the vulnerable in Canada, and the structural failures in our society, including our prison system, playing out on the streets of our city,” he said.

He noted the Alberta government just agreed to cover the increased policing costs for rural Alberta.

“With increased policing costs driving up property taxes, where’s the equity for Edmonton?” he asked.

The Edmonton Police Commission next meets on Thursday at noon.

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