Edmonton Downtown Business Association seeking federal support to address public safety issues

Business leaders from cities across Canada, including one from Edmonton, gathered on Parliament Hill on Tuesday to stir up support for downtown cores in crisis.

Puneeta McBryan, the executive director of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association (EDBA), along with other downtown business leaders, traveled to Ottawa to ask for financial support to help downtown businesses facing challenges related to addictions, mental health and homelessness.

"There's 23 of us here from across the country, everywhere from Halifax to Victoria, a whole bunch of us here really sharing the same message, which I think is a good reminder to Edmontonians," McBryan told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

"I think a lot of people in Edmonton really feel like what our downtown is going through, that those are Edmonton problems."

"Especially when it comes to mental health, addictions, homelessness, and then the interrelated issues of public safety and crime – these are issues every single city across Canada."

According to the International Downtown Association (IDA) Canada, a national organization which supports downtowns that EDBA is a member of, all levels of government should "play a larger role" in keeping downtowns safe for residents, visitors and businesses.

"Main streets and downtowns are the heart of our cities, but they cannot be strong if they continue to face major challenges that make it difficult to attract people, investment and jobs that strengthen Canada’s economy," said Kate Fenske, the chair of IDA Canada, in a Tuesday release.

"Repeat offenders are major drivers of crime and the bail system is not working to protect Canadians," she said. "Confidence in public safety is very low – this issue is too urgent to delay."

The release stated that reforms to Bill C-48, which addresses repeat offenders and theft from small businesses, should be reviewed by the federal government.

McBryan agrees.

"We're not just looking for funding. Some of this is policy, some of this is cooperation and collaboration between different orders of government," she said.

"The thing is, we're already spending a lot of money on these issues, and so how could we tailor some of the investments and make sure that they're actually addressing the needs of each community?"

She says the group hopes to put the issue at the forefront of the next federal election.