We have the solutions for a safer transit system.
I hear your calls to improve safety immediately and tackle root causes. Together, we can solve this problem.
I have heard from many Edmontonians, especially women and parents, calling on the City to address safety on transit. I want to say that I hear you, our leaders in administration and the community hear you and we are working together to make sure that everyone feels safe using our transit system. Improving safety on public transportation is essential for our economic recovery and downtown revitalization as we welcome workers back to our core.
The Solutions
First I want to say, everyone deserves to feel safe on public transit. There is no single solution to this complex problem, but I have advocated for programs that improve safety immediately along with solutions to tackle root causes. I know the pandemic has exacerbated safety issues as we see reduced ridership and foot traffic, and increases in homelessness driving more people to seek shelter in transit facilities.
This is why Council voted unanimously to invest 3.9 million dollars in the Transit Safety Plan over the next 3 years.
As a former bus driver, I know exactly how it feels to deal with safety issues on transit. I deeply empathize with those of you who feel unsafe and are looking for a solution. I am confident that we have the ingredients to tackle public safety on transit. Let me explain what we are doing and how each intervention creates a lasting safety solution.
As an Individual:
As I have heard from concerned transit users over the past few months, I know that safety is a minute-to-minute worry for you. I do not expect that everyone will suddenly feel at ease because of our new transit interventions. And I also want you to know that as a rider, you are not responsible for the actions of others. That being said, here are some resources you can use in the moment on transit if needed.
As a Service:
Seeing some of our most marginalized community members seeking shelter in transit facilities is a sign of a bigger issue. Let me be clear, our transit facilities are not safe places for people to seek shelter. They are not designed to meet the needs of our most marginalized residents in terms of washrooms and other care.
This is why COTT (Community Outreach Transit Team) is so important. COTT is a new on-the-ground support team that will connect people to the services they need. This partnership between the City of Edmonton and Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society diverts individuals from the transit system and links them to housing, mental health, substance use, and financial assistance. I am extremely hopeful about the effectiveness of this program and the other interventions laid out in the recently approved Transit Safety Plan. A plan like this has been needed for a long time and I am committed to monitoring and evaluating its progress.
As a City:
Harassment is never ok in our city and it has been my top priority to address and prevent hate in Edmonton. The newly created Anti-Racism Strategy will work to end hate-based violence that has put racialized folks in danger on transit and elsewhere.
Sadly, Edmonton is also experiencing a drug poisoning crisis. With provincial cuts to harm-reduction supports, people do not have supervised facilities to use substances. This is not safe for anyone, and it can be distressing to observe community members using substances in public spaces like transit facilities. That is why I continue to advocate to the Province for more harm reduction supports. We know that harm-reduction and safe consumption supports lessen risks for both the people using drugs and the public.
To holistically address precarious housing and houselessness, Council has committed a historic level of funding toward our goal of building 900 new supportive housing units by 2024. We are already well over halfway to that goal now. Supportive housing is especially good at empowering tenants to create their own pathway towards healing from substance dependence. This is a lasting solution for those experiencing chronic houselessness.
