Staying In Our Lane (July 2024)
The status quo is broken.
At least that is the case when it comes to housing, shelter operations, and mental health/addictions support. If you saw the news the first week of July, you may have seen some stories about a motion I made on a transition strategy. Here is the wording of the motion that was approved unanimously by City Council:
“That Administration work with the province on a transition strategy for all services, programs, and infrastructure related to housing and houselessness, shelter operations, mental health supports, and addictions treatment that are being funded by the City of Edmonton but are the jurisdiction of the Government of Alberta.”
If you have read my blogs, attended community meetings, watched my virtual Community Conversations, or talked to me any time in the last few years you have probably heard me say the following:
Housing, shelter operations, and mental health/addictions support are provincial jurisdiction.
I share that information as often as possible because I think that City Councils over the last 15 years have worked so hard to fill in the gaps on these issues that I believe many people think the city has primary responsibility for these important areas and I want to make sure everyone knows the facts.
I have supported the investments in these areas but as our city continues to grow rapidly and as we find ourselves not being able to keep up with that growth, it’s causing me to ask if we need to figure out how to figure out how to return responsibility for those critical areas without seeing the people who need that support and care being harmed in the process. We are even seeing the challenge throughout the region. Here’s a recent story from Leduc.
During our Community and Public Services Committee meeting on Monday, June 17th, we were asked to approve a new Corporate Homelessness Plan. The plan itself is excellent but as we were discussing it I started thinking about how this plan is simply going to continue to set false expectations that the City can end homelessness. That’s what led to the motion above.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the legal authority or financial capacity to end homelessness. That’s not to suggest ending homelessness is overly challenging, but it will take a focused effort from the provincial government as they are responsible for the operations of 24/7 supportive housing, recovery centres, and other mental health/addictions support.
Over the last decade, we have regularly engaged the provincial governments on taking the lead on what is their jurisdiction but we have been quick to jump in when there has been a lack of action. Prior to this winter, we funded emergency shelter spaces each of the three previous winters because there weren’t enough shelter beds, to the order of tens of millions. When the pandemic started, we funded daytime shelter spaces for Bissell Centre and Boyle Street (approximately $4-$6 million/year). We found empty City buildings and provided them to groups like Jasper Place Wellness Centre to help provide support for people experiencing homelessness.
In the summer of 2020 we approved $30 million in funding to help build 215 units of 24/7 supportive housing. In this 4 year budget (2023-2026), we will be spending approximately $187 million to help build even more units of 24/7 supportive housing, affordable housing, and supporting service providers. In 2023 alone, Council spent around $91 million on important services, programs, and housing to help with this serious issue. This is much more than we had been spending a decade ago.
These were and still are the right decisions as they saved lives at a time when we have not seen a clear plan of action from the provincial government. But as noted above, those actions aren’t free. From 2019-2022, that was easier to support because we had the lowest tax increases in a 25 year period. For 2023 and 2024, we know that the property tax increases are very hard for people to absorb. I hear it from people every day that they are struggling to cover their basics and are asking us to find ways to help.
That’s why a transition strategy is needed.
The provincial government recently announced they finished their fiscal year with a $4.3 billion surplus. That money would be enough to end homelessness across Alberta in a few short years. Although there is only one taxpayer, since Albertans have already paid these taxes, it makes more sense for the order of government responsible for housing, shelter operations, and mental health/addictions support to be paying for this than having the municipalities across Alberta double tax people (via property taxes) at a time when many people are struggling to pay their bills.
So what happens next? Now that this motion has been approved, our City Administration will connect with Provincial Administration and hopefully begin work on a plan to transition everything the City of Edmonton is paying for, but is provincial jurisdiction, to the provincial government.
The provincial government was very clear during their spring session in the Legislature that they want municipalities to stay in their lane. I’m more than happy to focus exclusively on what is within our jurisdiction and so I am hopeful they will approach this conversation with an open mind and ensure that Albertans are getting the help they need.
For more information on this, please check out two of my blogs from earlier this year: Declaring a Housing Emergency and Ending Homelessness in Edmonton and Alberta.
Finally, as I regularly get asked by residents how they can advocate on this important issue, I want to provide some updated contact information from a blog I wrote last year. Here is the contact information for the provincial Ministers and MLAs that you can contact and show your support for this transition strategy.
Provincial Representatives
Premier of Alberta - Danielle Smith - Premier@gov.ab.ca
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions - Dan Williams - mha.minister@gov.ab.ca
Minister of Health - Adriana LeGrange - health.minister@gov.ab.ca
Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services - Jason Nixon - SCSS.minister@gov.ab.ca
Minister of Municipal Affairs - Ric McIver - minister.municipalaffairs@gov.ab.ca
Minister of Children and Family Services - Searle Turton - cs.minister@gov.ab.ca
MLA Sarah Hoffman - Edmonton-Glenora - Edmonton.Glenora@assembly.ab.ca
MLA Lori Sigurdson - Edmonton-Riverview - Edmonton.Riverview@assembly.ab.ca
MLA Brooks Arcand-Paul - Edmonton-West Henday - Edmonton.WestHenday@assembly.ab.ca
MLA Lorne Dach - Edmonton McClung - Edmonton.McClung@assembly.ab.ca
Official Opposition Critic for Housing - MLA Janis Irwin - Edmonton.HighlandsNorwood@assembly.ab.ca
You might be asking yourself who you should contact. I would suggest contacting all of the Ministers listed above as well as the Premier. I would also make sure to include your local MLA, I’ve included the 4 MLAs that overlap with the ward that I serve. Finally, I would contact MLA Janis Irwin as the Official Opposition Critic for Housing. It doesn’t have to be a long email. It could be as simple as that you support a proper transition for all services, programs, and infrastructure related to housing and houselessness, shelter operations, mental health supports, and addictions treatment that are being funded by the City of Edmonton but are the jurisdiction of the Government of Alberta. Please be respectful when you reach out.
I started this post by saying that the status quo is broken. Too many people are losing their lives unnecessarily and so it’s time to hit the reset button and go down a new path that first and foremost, helps save the lives of people experiencing homelessness. On top of that, we need to ensure each order of government is working together on a coordinated plan that guarantees each government is only funding what is within their jurisdiction. This can be done. Other countries are having success so there is no reason we can do the same thing here in Alberta.
