Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis (Government of Alberta website)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Mike Ellis

Premier issues mandate letter to Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

Aug 1, 2023 | 11:33 AM

Premier Danielle Smith has issued a mandate letter to Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, calling on him to keep Alberta families and communities safe.

In her letter, the Premier outlines her expectation for safe streets in Alberta, unlike what is seen in jurisdictions such as Vancouver, Portland or San Francisco, she adds.

Smith emphasizes the government’s top priority as ensuring the protection of Albertans, keeping communities safe, and asks Minister Ellis to deliver on platform commitments to support Albertans, including:

• Immediately implementing the Safe Streets Action Plan, including adding at least 100 new patrol officers for Calgary and Edmonton and assessing whether more officers are needed.
• Creating specialized sheriff-led anti-fentanyl and illegal gun trafficking teams, including at the Canada-U.S. border.
• Expanding the provincial cybercrime units.
• Exploring opportunities for continued sheriff deployment in Edmonton, Calgary and other communities to assist with patrols and street-level law enforcement.
• Increasing support for Internet and Child Exploitation Teams.
• Creating additional Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team Gang Suppression Units, including increased monitoring of scrap metal dealers and gang connections to reduce catalytic converter theft.
• Working with partners to create a new provincial DNA lab.
• Implementing, with sheriffs, a modern ankle bracelet monitoring program and enhanced 24-hour bail monitoring of violent and sexual offenders.
• Improving awareness of Clare’s Law and other tools to assist Albertans forming close relationships with violent and sexual offenders without knowledge or consent.

The Premier also tasks Minister Ellis with:

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• Continuing to create and expand therapeutic living units at correctional facilities.
• Reviewing the education and training curriculum for sheriffs so they can assist in a broader scope of policing.
• Ensuring the safe transportation of mental health and addiction patients to appropriate health services.
• Working with Indigenous, mid-sized and rural communities to address rising crime rates in these areas.
• Reviewing and providing recommendations to improve the delivery model and funding associated with search and rescue operations in the province.
• Introducing emergency management measures that will ensure the province is prepared to respond to any natural disaster or other emergency anywhere in the province.
• Developing a flood and fire mitigation strategy to proactively protect communities at risk of future natural disasters.
• Modernizing and reforming Indigenous policing programs to address chronic underfunding and gaps.
• Continuing to work with local communities to support them with the community policing options they believe will best serve their populations.
• As the lead, and in collaboration with the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, ensuring police services have the tools they need to support the wellness and recovery of Albertans while they focus on keeping communities safe.
• Designing a ministry-specific job-attraction strategy that raises awareness for young Albertans (aged 16 to 24) and adults changing careers of the professions available in the policing, emergency services and emergency management sectors, including pathways for education and training.

“Our government has a top priority to bring back the safety that every community, family and individual deserves. We cannot afford to be soft on crime, nor can we allow repeat violent criminal offenders out on bail. Albertans have the right to feel safe, no matter where they live or work,” said Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services.

Alberta NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir issued the following statement in response to the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness mandate letter:

“All Albertans deserve to live in safe and secure communities, but this mandate letter does not adequately address the needs of Alberta communities.

“After months of devastating wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters that forced thousands from their homes this year, there is no concrete plan to protect families and their property from the increasingly frequent natural disasters. There is no commitment to reverse the UCP cuts to the rappel wildfire firefighters or how Danielle Smith plans to improve communication with municipalities.

“We know that to improve public safety, we must address the root causes of public disorder. Danielle Smith fails to commit to delivering adequate wrap-around services that Albertans need to live in safe and secure communities. There is no plan to improve mental health supports, housing, harm reduction, addiction treatment, and access to training and employment to address the roots of crime.

“This letter also fails to acknowledge or commit to reversing the UCP’s cuts to municipalities which impacted police services in our largest cities. Refusing to reverse these cuts shows that Danielle Smith and Mike Ellis are more focused on politics than ensuring public safety.”

The view letter can be found here.