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Michael Walters
MW: We can fund police according to the
social policing model, where frontline officers
work with agency partners and, through the
commission, strengthen partnerships with
social agencies. Take HELP (Human-centred
Engagement and Liaison Partnership Unit)
— boutique policing that should become
mainstream. I’ve seen success, but it needs
to be a bigger priority.
The City can also invest in overdose
teams and prevention sites, ideally in
coordination with the province since this is a
health issue. This is where the mayor must
unify Edmontonians across partisan lines.
I stood proudly with Boyle Street Co-op
in supporting the Ritchie health hub when
it faced neighbourhood opposition. Local
politicians didn’t stand up. They took cover.
OM: In an op-ed for our former sister
publication Urban Affairs, you defended
dismantling encampments despite limited
shelter space. Since the policy began in 2023,
frostbite amputations hit record highs, which
critics link to the evictions.
MW: For four years we’ve debated whether
encampments are “safe” or “unsafe.”
Everyone knows they’re unsafe. I don’t want
to be the mayor defending encampments.
I want to get to work expanding shelter access
and building the housing people need.
The Navigation and Support Centre
is a fine idea — it coordinates services
and gives people access to what they’re
missing. But we also need 500 or more
supportive housing units, plus transitional
and recovery-oriented housing with
provincial support, and something like
Calgary’s large day shelter model. What
matters most is helping people survive the
nights by getting them into housing quickly,
and with the right health-care supports,
because the number of people dying is
unacceptable. ■
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