Mayor demands provincial plan after detainees dropped in Chinatown

A white Correctional Services van dropped seven people—five men and three women—in front of Kim Fat Market in Edmonton's Chinatown late Friday evening around 8:45 p.m., surveillance footage shows. It was the second such release in a week on private property.

Kathryn Luu, co-owner of Kim Fat Market, approached the driver and suggested he take the released people to Hope Mission instead. The driver did not roll down the window, shook his head, put on the seat belt and drove off.

"Honestly it felt like it was a dumping ground," Luu said.

At a Monday news conference, Mayor Andrew Knack called on both the provincial and federal governments to develop plans for a "warm handoff" of people leaving correctional custody. He said the city has been "confronting this issue for over 10 years."

"It's one thing to say the words that, 'We see this problem, we've identified the problem,' It's something else entirely to say, 'And here's the sequence of actions we're going to take,'" Knack said.

Edmonton houses about 3,405 inmates—306 per cent more than Calgary, according to Knack. Approximately 72 per cent of Edmonton's inmate population are housed at provincially-run prisons. Coun. Anne Stevenson said the city has seen at least a dozen people released into Edmonton in a state of "incredible vulnerability."

Stevenson called for a "provincial reintegration co-ordination framework" and said studies show the first days after release can determine whether someone re-offends. "Dropping people off in parking lots right before the weekend is setting them up for failure," she said.

The Alberta Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said it is "reinforcing expectations with staff that releases occur at appropriate public locations and not on private property." The ministry noted that approximately 80 per cent of individuals in custody are on remand status and release dates may not be known ahead of time.