Edmonton mayor calls for province to address release protocols after detainees dropped off in Chinatown
Andrew Knack spoke about issue at news conference Monday
New video that shows more detainees from correctional facilities being dropped off in Edmonton's Chinatown has prompted the city's mayor to call on upper levels of government to address release protocols.
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detainees → call → protocols
On Wednesday, CBC News reported on surveillance footage showing a provincial corrections van dropping off a former detainee in a private parking lot in Chinatown.
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van → report → Chinatown
On Sunday, CBC News received new footage, recorded Friday evening, that shows at least seven more former detainees being dropped off in a Chinatown parking lot.
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detainees → receive → lot
At a news conference on Monday, Mayor Andrew Knack said he believes the provincial government needs to show exactly how it plans to address the issue, including what supports people receive after they leave custody.
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they → say → custody
"It's one thing to say the words that, ‘We see this problem, we've identified the problem,’" he said.
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he → say → problem
"It's something else entirely to say, ‘And here's the sequence of actions we're going to take.’
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we → say → actions
"
Last week, after CBC News first reported about the drop-offs in Chinatown, a statement from Alberta’s Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said the department is “reinforcing expectations with staff that releases occur at appropriate public locations and not on private property.”
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releases → report → property
Knack said a plan for someone leaving a correctional facility needs to include reintegration and followup.
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plan → say → reintegration
"How are we ensuring that person is getting all of the necessary supports and care so they're not falling back into maybe a place of homelessness, that they're not falling back into issues like mental health and addictions?" he asked.
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he → ensure → health
Knack said he wants the Alberta government to provide information about timelines for addressing shortages in housing, recovery and other supports.
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government → say → housing
'We have the solutions'
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We → have → solutions
Knack said Edmonton has an unusually high concentration of correctional facilities, with eight such facilities.
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Edmonton → say → facilities
He said the city is also a northern Alberta hub for social services.
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city → say → services
"The disproportionate pressure that our city faces due to the concentration of these services means that we need a uniquely Edmonton approach," he said.
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he → face → approach
Coun. Anne Stevenson said the city has seen at least a dozen people released into Edmonton in what she described as a state of "incredible vulnerability."
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she → say → vulnerability
She said the city is asking the province for a "reintegration co-ordination framework," pointing to non-profit organizations already doing this work.
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city → say → work
"We have the model, we have the solutions," Stevenson said.
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Stevenson → have → solutions
Knack said the city has already made land available for affordable and supportive housing and is working toward community health hubs, recovery spaces and other supports.
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land → say → hubs
But he said those efforts cannot replace provincial and federal responsibility for people leaving custody.
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efforts → say → custody
"We don't have the same legal tools as the provincial and federal governments," Knack said.
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Knack → have → governments
But we're not going to sit back and just say, 'Do it yourselves.'
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we → go → it
"
Release plans can be complicated
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plans → complicate → ?
Kathryn Quinlan, vice-president of the Criminal Trial Lawyers' Association, said there is no single process for releasing someone from custody, and that a blanket release plan would not work because people's circumstances differ.
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circumstances → say → custody
People can be released on bail, after serving a provincial sentence, or from federal custody through parole, statutory release or the expiry of a sentence, she said.
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she → release → sentence
Quinlan said she has represented clients who were dropped off in public areas.
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who → say → areas
That practice works for some people but creates significant barriers for others, she said.
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she → work → others
Some people may have supports in the downtown area, she said, while others may have family or housing elsewhere in Edmonton or outside the city.
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others → have → city
"It's the individuals who don't have that same access who would struggle," Quinlan said.
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Quinlan → have → access
A person leaving custody may not have access to a cellphone, which can make it difficult to contact family, arrange transportation or access services.
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it → leave → services
Quinlan said better-funded release planning could address some of those gaps.
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planning → say → gaps
She suggested a worker at the Edmonton Remand Centre could speak with people before release to determine what they already have in place and what they need to access those supports — potentially something as simple as bus fare or an Arc (reloadable transit fare card) card.
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they → suggest → fare
In a statement, the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said correctional staff work with people before release to identify available services and consider transportation, their home community, immediate needs and available supports.
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staff → say → transportation
The province said about 80 per cent of people in custody are on remand, meaning their release dates may not be known in advance.
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dates → say → advance
In its statement, the ministry said it understands concerns raised by Chinatown residents and businesses and is reviewing practices.
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it → say → practices
"We recognize the important role Chinatown plays in Edmonton," the ministry said, adding that it will continue working with community partners to ensure release procedures balance community concerns, operational requirements and connecting people with available supports.
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procedures → recognize → supports
Knack said the city wants to see those commitments translated into action quickly.
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commitments → say → action
"We need the two orders of government who have the actual levers to solve this to be the ones leading the charge," he said.
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he → need → charge
CBC News reached out to the Edmonton Police Service but the police department said it was unable to comment.
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it → reach → Service
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