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Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis says recent prisoner drop-offs in Edmonton were human error. Municipal leaders call for better release planning and resources.
EDMONTON — Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said on Friday that the recent release of former prisoners onto downtown Edmonton streets was due to human error. The incidents occurred after surveillance videos published by CBC earlier this month showed provincial corrections transport vans dropping off detainees in an inner city neighbourhood. The videos drew concern and calls for reform from local officials, community residents and business owners.
Edmonton Mayor Presses for Answers
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack pressed Ellis on Friday for details about what the province is doing to ensure similar drop-offs do not happen again. Ellis said he was outraged to learn of the two incidents in Edmonton and said they were not prompted by a directive from him. However, Knack and Dylan Bressey, the head of the province's largest group of municipalities, said the issue is not unique to Edmonton.
Speaking to reporters at the Alberta Municipalities convention in Edmonton, Knack said he wants to work with the minister but sees a gap in understanding. Knack said there is a disconnect between what is believed to be the actual process and what is actually happening in municipalities across the province. Ellis later told reporters at an unrelated news conference that dropping off former correctional facility detainees onto the streets is not a common practice. He repeated that in both cases it was human error and added that everyone is human.
Minister Calls for Warm Handoff
Ellis, the former mental health and addiction associate minister, said everything he has worked on building as part of the province's recovery-focused system has always been about a warm handoff. He said he is vehemently opposed to just dropping people off where they have no supports. Ellis said he has been told by Corrections Alberta that they will be taking measures to ensure the same drop-offs do not happen again, but he did not provide details.
Dylan Bressey, Alberta Municipalities president and city councillor in Grande Prairie, said the issue affects communities near correctional facilities across Alberta, including his own. He told reporters that individuals are getting unloaded on city streets where there is not adequate social services for them, creating social chaos and costing a lot of money in police, fire, and parks response. Bressey said he has heard anecdotes from councillors in several communities but they do not have good data.
Municipal Leaders Seek Better Release Planning
Bressey emphasized the importance of releasing individuals with a proper plan and the proper resources to help them be healthy and receive whatever supervision or care they need going forward. When Ellis was asked about reports of similar instances in Grande Prairie, he said he was not aware of them. He said Corrections Alberta will drive people to wherever they need to go, which in some cases can be an hours-long trip to their home community.
The issue has sparked calls for reform and greater transparency in how the province handles the release of detainees. Municipal leaders are urging the province to work with them to develop better release protocols that include adequate support services and coordination. The Alberta Municipalities convention provided a platform for these concerns to be raised directly with the minister. As the province reviews its practices, affected communities await concrete actions to prevent future incidents.
Alberta Corrections Edmonton Mike Ellis Andrew Knack Prisoner Release Alberta Municipalities Dylan Bressey
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