Justice Minister Mickey Amery says special teams of Crown prosecutors will be formed to focus on violent crime and criminals in Edmonton and Calgary.
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he agrees the root causes of crime must be addressed, but that city council must act on concerns from residents and business owners who don't feel safe in their neighbourhoods."Everyone here agrees that the status quo is simply not working and things must change. We need to stabilize the situation.
Doug King, a professor of criminal justice at Mount Royal University, said there may be logistical challenges in implementing the province's proposed changes. "We do know that the federal government of Canada ... who appoints the federal judges for superior court and upwards has beenSindi Addorisio manages Boyle Street Community Services' new health hub, Mahihkan Kamik, which means "wolf den" in Cree.
"Data is showing currently that more folks are smoking the substances that they are consuming, and we, to date, we don't have any inhalation rooms. The seven booths that we do have are injection drug use," she said.