A shocking scene greeted people boarding the LRT at Churchill Station late Wednesday afternoon: a hammer laid out in one of the seats, along with a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread and a pepper melting on the floor. A huge pile of clothes and a dirty backpack were on the floor. A Naloxone kit was sitting in an adjoining seat. “I was very upset when I saw this kind of disorder on the LRT train,” said Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, with whom CBC News shared photos from the scene. Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) branch manager, had a similar reaction. “I was outraged,” Hotton-MacDonald told CBC News. “It makes it very, very difficult for riders to use the service when they see these things and when they do.”
A hammer was abandoned in LRT position on Wednesday. (Cort Sloan / CBC)
The scene depicted in the photos is definitely not the rule, he said. “It’s a very strong reminder to me that people are using LRT as a shelter and need better support.” Sohi believes the transport disruption is a symptom of larger issues related to affordable housing and mental health, which he blamed on the Alberta government. “As a municipality, we are collecting pieces of the consequences of the lack of investment by the provincial government,” he said. Providing mental health support, as well as ending homelessness and the drug poisoning crisis, is a provincial jurisdiction, he added. Rob Williams, the Secretary of Transportation’s press secretary, said in an email statement that the 2022 budget kept funding for homeless shelters in excess of $ 29 million a year at the Edmonton Homeward Trust for planning, including housing. The province has also made significant investments in providing treatment to people with addictions and has provided police tools to connect people with treatment, he said. “We see the police as part of addressing the public safety concerns shared by Edmonton residents. Public safety is the responsibility of the city and should be adequately funded by the Mayor and the council.” A Naloxone kit was left unattended on Wednesday afternoon LRT. (Cort Sloan / CBC)

Consequences of LRT violence

Tensions are running high in the city after a 78-year-old woman was pushed on the LRT rails on Monday night by a stranger. The alleged perpetrator has been arrested and is also accused of attacking a man with a gun the next day at a different LRT station. “Illegal activity is not welcome in our transit system,” Sochi said. “There is no tolerance for violence or threatening behavior in our transit system.” Edmonton police officers have been called to LRT stations and transit centers a total of 561 times so far this year, according to police figures. More than half of the incidents are related to violence, disorder or weapons. Police have responded to LRT Coliseum 84 times so far this year, more than any other station. Churchill had the second most incidents with 73. (CBC News)
In response to public concerns over this week’s violence, the city of Edmonton is stepping up its transit safety program, which was introduced in February. The $ 3.9 million three-year plan will now include an opioid response team and five more community transit teams, according to the city. (CBC News)
Five more peacekeepers will be deployed in June. Two more security dispatchers working at the 24/7 checkpoint are also being added, Hotton-MacDonald said. Next week, the city will announce a reopening plan for the crossing station toilets, which will include safer access, he said. “We hear and we know that additional support is needed,” said Hotton-MacDonald. “Overall, I strongly believe that our system is secure. I think we can do more to make it even more secure.” Edmonton’s shuttle service has more than 130,000 routes a day, the vast majority of which are safe, he said.