City of Lethbridge to ask province for sheriffs' help with homeless encampments

LETHBRIDGE -

The City of Lethbridge is hoping to have more boots on the ground come summertime.

City council has passed a motion to allow Mayor Blaine Hyggen to pen a letter to Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis seeking assistance from Alberta Sheriffs in managing homeless encampments in the city.

"It has nothing to do with just that law and order that some people are saying, 'You're going come in and rip things down.' What it goes more towards is safety in our community," Hyggen said.

"In my opinion, there's absolutely no higher priority than keeping our streets safe."

According to the city, encampments last year grew to more than 90 structures in Civic Centre Park.

Both the public and surrounding residents feared for their safety, with Lethbridge Police responding to at least one shooting.

Now, the hope is the sheriffs will patrol the area and assist where needed.

"There's other ways that we need to work with getting the permanent supportive housing and additional shelter space to deal with the homelessness, because we do have to have a place for these folks to go and so that's extremely important," Hyggen said.

"But it's more on the crime side of things and what happens in entrenched encampments that needs to be dealt with."

Hyggen says the idea came to council from both the City of Calgary and the City of Edmonton implementing sheriffs in their downtown cores.

The latest point-in-time count showed that more than 450 individuals in the city are experiencing homelessness.

With the Alberta Sheriffs expected to add a level of safety, Hyggen says the city is actively working on other initiatives to address the crisis.

"Some permanent supportive housing that has been OKed from the government and that is out right now for tender or for proposal," Hyggen said.

"Next is the treatment facilities that are there and also we're working on trying to expand our shelter system as well."

Ellis' press secretary told CTV News the ministry of public safety and emergency services and the Alberta Sheriffs will need to work with municipal officials before they can commit to deploying sheriffs in Lethbridge.