I'll be updating the media shortly on the discussion and decisions that came out of today's Emergency Advisory Committee meeting.

A summary of my notes will be shared below

#yegcc #Edmonton #COVID19AB https://twitter.com/CityofEdmonton/status/1299096693284114432

I want to start off by reiterating what I said earlier in the meeting today: that I think we all need to take a deep collective breath as a city, and a community, and to try and be there for each other again. #yegcares #yegcc

And focus on the solidarity and community spirit that this City is known for and that helped us get us through the first part of this pandemic so successfully.

I like many of you have noticed that there has been an extreme polarization happening on social media...

In the media, and in our everyday lives regarding so many of the issues COVID19 has forced us to contend with: masks and other public health orders, the issue of homelessness, etc. — and I’m, like many of you, concerned about this fraying of our solidarity.

I’m convinced that the antidote to all this polarization is community. So I hope Edmontonians will join me in, gently, calling for a return of that community spirit that we had at the beginning of all this. #COVID19AB

The community spirit that championed the notion that when one of us is vulnerable we’re all vulnerable — and that we’re stronger when we work together. #yegcares #yegcc

Moving on to today’s business: we got an update from @CityofEdmonton administration on our most up-to-date metrics for #COVID19 and what the City is doing to ensure the safety of Edmontonians.

Unfortunately, the number of active cases in our city has been rising & it was confirmed by @CMOH_Alberta that much of the rise in cases is due to community transmission: that is gatherings between friends & family in which AHS guidelines are not being followed. #COVID19AB

The AHS data for #YEG also states that we’re seeing a spike in cases amongst younger adults — who may be tired of all the public health messages & eager to squeeze the last bit of fun out of summer and as a result, put aside the important public health messages we've shared.

I want to stress however that the virus doesn’t care that we’re exhausted and tired of all this public health messaging.

To be honest I’m tired too — but if we’re to get through this, we need to tap into our resilient community spirit & commit to keeping each other safe.

We’re all eager to return to a sense of normalcy.

None of us wants to live another year like this — none of us want to go through winter like this — which is why we’re asking all Edmontonians to do their part and help stop the spread by following the @AHS_media guidelines.

I also want to take this opportunity to stress that the other virus we’re fighting is misinformation & we have to do our part to combat that as well. Please ensure you’re up to date on the facts, and the informed public health advice that we continue to receive from @AHS_YEGZone.

So, let’s remember to keep gatherings small — ideally just with our cohorts -- wash our hands, wear a face covering and maintain our distance from people outside our cohort. This will help keep our economy open and save lives.

Today we also heard an update on what the City is doing to address Camp Pekiwewin.

That update included that City officials, organizers and Homeward Trust are meeting weekly with organizers to establish conditions to wind down the camp.

We expect those conditions will include access to day programming, so folks have somewhere to isolate and somewhere to go, and to appropriate supportive housing.

Both of these conditions require provincial/federal action — and I’m continuing to push for a speedy response.

I do want to note that this is not an #Edmonton specific challenge: it looks a little different in every city, but Mayors across the country and dealing with similar issues and need the same action and leadership from Federal and Provincial gov'ts.

The City of Edmonton stands ready to spring into action for a better and more durable response than the camp.

On a related note, I’m eagerly waiting to hear how the $48 million the province promised to help with homelessness will be deployed in the community.

Details of how this money will be used have yet to be released. https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=72973760E638F-074B-00DD-B66FD75EB3A3CC71

There is money in the system right now and we hope @YourAlberta does its part to liaise directly with those experiencing homelessness and the organizations working directly with them — which are, conveniently, just steps from the legislature at Camp Pekiwewin.

As always, I encourage them to work w/ us meaningfully & effectively — to work with the agencies & service providers which I sincerely think would prefer to work themselves out of business, but in the meantime, are deeply committed to helping Edmontonians in need.

We’re not interested in maintaining the camp as is — we want a long-term solution for these camp residents: we want to provide those living in the camp w/ supportive housing and we want to see that happen in the short term.

We want a 10-week plan to end homelessness.

In the short term, before it gets too cold, we want to provide them with safe shelter options.
This is what those in the camps deserve, and this is what the greater community deserves. This is the just and humane response to the situation.

Right now, my office and I are working w/ cities across the province & across the country, as well as working with our business community to bring forward a proposal to solve this issue as soon as possible. We are hoping to bring something forward next week.

What’s clear to me is that the camp organizers and residents aren’t just asking for more shelter space — they are asking for dignity, and housing, and that’s what we’ll continue to be advocating for.

Most on #yegcc understand that solving this social injustice will allow us to weather the storm of a future pandemic or natural disaster much more successfully — the responsible thing for us to do is to tackle this issue of housing.

Tackling this issue ensures all of us are safer, and financially it is more effective than to just cycle money through shelters and day spaces. #yegcc #Edmonton #AbLeg