SLS Edmonton

Student Legal Services of Edmonton (SLS) is a student-run non-profit that helps low-income Edmontonians with legal issues. Tweets are not legal advice.

[SLS Edmonton @slsedmonton]

We are partnering with the Fort Foundation to bring you a FREE legal information session on Separation & Divorce Procedure in Alberta!

It takes place Wednesday, August 7th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm MT via Google Meets.

Video call link: https://t.co/eykMLIo3YE

[SLS Edmonton @slsedmonton]

NEW SERVICE ALERT: The Criminal Law Project at SLS can now assist low-income individuals with record suspension applications! Check out our website for more details: https://t.co/g6l48KoFV4

[SLS Edmonton @slsedmonton]

This data could also provide more transparency for prospective tenants, thus giving us the tools to bring Canada closer to realizing its recent declaration that adequate housing is a fundamental human right. (6/6)

[SLS Edmonton @slsedmonton]

The team within the Legal Education project at SLS is proud to release their latest reform project to the public: a report and recommendations to Edmonton City Council regarding the implementation of a residential rental licensing program. (1/6)

https://t.co/McssN95muc

[SLS Edmonton @slsedmonton]

and depend upon. The data collected through this type of program could also provide local officials with the information needed to better identify problems arising from the financialization of housing, such as money laundering and affordability concerns. (5/6)

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

🚨edmonton is asking the public what kind of behaviour is okay/not okay in public spaces like transit. This survey is a good opportunity to tell the city that unhoused folks shouldn’t get bans and tickets for loitering. Survey closes Sunday https://t.co/8z1VMM18KX #yeg #yegcc

[SLS Edmonton @slsedmonton]

We continue to strongly encourage the @CityofEdmonton to find alternative measures of addressing safety and comfort concerns on public transit in a manner that doesn't perpetuate colonial violence and the criminalization of poverty.

[SLS Edmonton @slsedmonton]

While we are glad to see that the overall number of tickets and bans issued to unhoused and Indigenous community members has decreased, those communities nevertheless remain disproportionately targeted by the @CityofEdmonton's transit bylaws.
https://t.co/a3L6MFYl3H

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

When the City Manager asked council to pass the “hanging around” bylaw in June 2022, he said often people hang around transit before they commit violent crime, so we need to prohibit hanging around to decrease violent crime. This data gives #yegcc reason to doubt that.

8/

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

another important note: this data does not cover 2022 and the new loitering (or “hanging around” in the city manager’s words) and visible drug use bylaws passed in June 2022.

7/

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

worth mentioning that, while other factors likely contributed, reports of drug use on transit increased after council repealed the loitering bylaw. Though that doesnt mean TPOs didn’t have lawful standing to ticket/ban people for drug use on transit without a loitering bylaw.

6/

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

We’re releasing this while the City is currently consulting the public about a potential revamp to its public places bylaws.

Please read the four-page media release, and complete the City’s survey: https://t.co/b3S4EuyMbB

5/

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

Here’s a link to the full release + data: https://t.co/nCszuio2Y1

Dr. Michelle Maroto of the U of A Sociology department offered some additional analysis: https://t.co/rg4cBmzapz

/4

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

The good:

The numbers of tickets & bans that TPOs issued to Indigenous and unhoused folks decreased significantly 2019-21.

Crime on transit did not increase after council repealed the loitering bylaw.

3/

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

The bad:

Indigenous peoples received 58% of all transit tix in 2019-21.

Unhoused people received ~80% of trespassing tickets in 2019-21, resulting in ~$600k annually in fines against the unhoused.

1/

[chris wiebe 🌲🌲🌲 (he/him) @ChrisWiebe780]

New data for 2019-21 from @CityofEdmonton obtained by @AlbertaCTLA & @slsedmonton show that 1) Indigenous & unhoused peoples continued to receive disproportionate share of transit tix, 2) the # of tix TPOs issued decreased, & 3) crime didn’t increase without a loitering bylaw 1/

[SLS Edmonton @slsedmonton]

Student Legal Services will be closed until January 9, 2023. See you in the New Year!