By: Asad Kiyani

PDF Version: Examining the Future of Policing in Edmonton: Reflections on Reform & Accountability – Part II

This is Part Two of a series detailing my comments made to Edmonton City Council in the context of a motion to thoroughly examine policing (available here). In Part One, I focused on the need for collection of data about policing, pointing out that this information can be of use not only to citizens who are wary of police, but to police forces looking to build positive relationships with local communities and to improve their service, as well as to City Council as it tries to understand how its massive investment of hundreds of millions of dollars into policing is spent.

In this post, I offer some brief thoughts on independent oversight of police. This review is not intended to be comprehensive. I then consider why Edmonton needs to think about police reform even though George Floyd was killed by American police in Minnesota, and some reflections on questions I was asked by members of Council after my presentation about the broader themes of policing, poverty, and community relationships.

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By: Asad Kiyani

PDF Version: Examining the Future of Policing in Edmonton: Reflections on Reform & Accountability – Part 1

The killing of George Floyd in the United States has prompted a swell of public activism across Canada. Building on the initial wave of ‘Black Lives Matter’ initiatives – which was itself sparked by police killings of other Black citizens in the United States several years ago – and tapping into decades-long demands for public sector reform across Canada, this activism has in particular focused on Canadian policing. Part of the public debate is about defunding and/or abolishing policing.

Edmonton City Council was recently presented with such a motion (summarized here), and is currently hearing from members of the public about the proposal. It is a timely initiative, not just because of the public outcry, but because Alberta had begun the process of reviewing the provincial Police Act, RSA 2000, c P-17, even before George Floyd’s death three weeks ago.

In this blog post and one to follow, I offer a slightly edited version of the presentation on which I based my comments to Edmonton City Council. The motion covers a lot of ground, including potentially freezing the scheduled budget increase for the Edmonton Police Service (EPS); independent oversight of complaints against the police and other enforcement officers (such as Transit Peace Officers); and, a review of the city’s street checks policy.

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