Edmonton city councillor Anne Stevenson resigns from police commission

City councillor Anne Stevenson is resigning her spot on the Edmonton Police Commission, saying she wants to focus on reforming how prisoners are released from local prisons and jails.

The commission announced Stevenson’s departure Friday. The Ward O-day’min councillor, who represents a swathe of central Edmonton, told Postmedia she believes in the commission’s work, but thinks her time is better spent on the issue of prisoner drop offs — which have made headlines after video emerged showing provincial corrections staff dropping inmates in parking lots in the city’s beleaguered Chinatown.

“Those videos surfaced, and since then I’ve had multiple individuals and organizations come forward to share even more stories about the current system,” Stevenson said. “Those really visible drop-offs on the street are one thing, but there are much bigger issues at play.”

Stevenson said she’s since heard stories — which remain unconfirmed — about formerly incarcerated pregnant women being dropped in central Edmonton with nowhere to go. She’s also heard claims that inmates no longer receive bus tickets since Greyhound ended its western Canada operations nearly a decade ago (Postmedia has asked the provincial government about the claim).

“Folks are just literally getting trapped here,” she said, adding other municipalities have reported similar issues. 

Stevenson said leaving the police commission “ultimately comes down to … time management.” 

“This is something that I just don’t think we can let go of,” she said of the prisoner drop off issue. “I think it is underpinning the crises that we’re continuing to see in the downtown, in Chinatown. I really want to put some concerted effort into resolving it.” 

Stevenson served as one of two council representatives on the police commission for the past five years. Her term coincided with the COVID pandemic, the defund the police movement, the tenure of Chief Dale McFee and increasing crime and disorder concerns in downtown.

It also saw high profile controversies at the police commission, including an attempt by the former chair to serve out his term from Portugal, as well as the commission’s approval of Chief Warren Driechel’s trip to Israel.

That move caused sustained protest which led the commission to cancel the public comment period and move its meetings online. The commission claimed meetings had “devolved into personal attacks, defamation, threats and intimidation directed at commissioners, police service members, staff, and other members of the public.” 

Stevenson said she was not in favour of the move online but has been reassured it will be temporary.

As to the criticism the police commission acts as a “rubber stamp” for police decisions, Stevenson said she believes the commission does good work.

“I got to meet with commissioners from across Canada, and these challenges of civilian oversight of policing are not in any way unique to Edmonton,” she said. “And in fact, I was very surprised at how far ahead Edmonton is compared to other commissions across the country.” 

“I think for anyone who thinks that the commission isn’t providing adequate oversight, I would strongly encourage them to consider becoming part of the commission,” she added. “That is a huge part of the solution.” 

Stevenson’s council replacement on the commission has yet to be decided.

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