Prostitution and Derelict Housing in the Norwood, Alberta Avenue and Eastwood Neighbourhoods.

Recommendation:
That the following report be received for information.

Report Summary

This report provides a response to an inquiry regarding prostitution and derelict housing in the Norwood, Alberta Avenue and Eastwood neighbourhoods.

Previous Council/Committee Action

At the September 15, 1998 City Council Meeting, Councillor Mason made the following inquiry:

“The business and residential communities in Norwood, Alberta Avenue and Eastwood are very frustrated with the City’s seemingly inability to deal with on-going problems of prostitution and derelict housing. Everyone’s patience seems to be running out. In the last year, I have attended literally dozens of meetings with community, business, Police and other City Departments attempting to find an effective response. One group of Norwood residents is considering appealing their taxes as a result of the nuisance. I have three questions:

1. To the Edmonton Police Commission - is there a comprehensive community-based policing strategy to deal with these issues?

2. To the Community Services Department:

(a)What is required to develop a Community Development Plan for the Norwood, Alberta Avenue and Eastwood neighbourhoods which provides a common strategy for community, business, Police, City Departments and agencies and which, as well, mobilizes the resources of the entire community to resolve these issues?

3.I recently attended a meeting with Municipal Affairs Minister, Iris Evans, together with Councillor R. Noce and MLAs Sue Olson and Ed Gibbons. The meeting dealt with the authority of municipalities to deal with rundown and derelict housing and absentee landlords. The Minister was very supportive of our concerns. What authority should the City have to deal effectively with rundown and derelict housing and the absentee landlords who own it? What can the Safe Housing Committee do to improve the City’s responsiveness and effectiveness in dealing with derelict and rundown housing?”

Report

1. The Edmonton Police Service has a comprehensive strategy for dealing with the problems of prostitution and derelict housing.

(a)Stop the tide of new prostitutes and rescue victims trapped in the trade.

  • The foremost concern of the Edmonton Police Service is the victimization of children involved in prostitution. The average age a girl becomes involved in prostitution is fifteen years. Rescue efforts for these victims take first priority over all other prostitution complaints.

(b)Aggressive enforcement directed at pimps, johns and prostitutes.

  • The second police priority in the war on prostitution is the pimp or individual who through a combination of seduction, manipulation, drugs, threats or violence forces children into prostitution. These investigations are typically complex and time consuming.
  • The Edmonton Police Service is a recognized leader in its aggressive enforcement of johns and the successful Prostitution Offender Program, commonly referred to as “John School”. Over 200 “johns” annually attend the school. To date less than one percent have re-offended.
  • Street prostitutes are an extremely transient group to deal with and can be remarkably difficult to charge. However, a covert team is updated daily on the locations frequented by street prostitutes and they conduct continual enforcement.

(c)Work with all levels of government to create legislation to deal with the problem of prostitution.

  • Prostitution is not just a police problem. The Vice Detail is working with the Alberta Government to develop stronger legislation to remove child prostitutes from the street. Bill 1, the Protection of Children Involved in Prostitution Act, is expected to be enacted in January of 1999.
  • Staff Sergeant Kevin Quail and Detective Chip Sawchuk are advisors to the Edmonton Police Commission Prostitution Task Force. The Commission is examining all possible strategies for dealing with prostitution and will report on their findings in July of 1999.
  • The Safer Cities Initiatives Advisory Committee has been concerned and involved with community impacts of prostitution since its inception.

(d)Aggressive enforcement directed at drug/derelict houses.

  • The Edmonton Police Service Special Projects Team from Downtown Division conducts “buy and bust” operations on drug houses in these areas. Individual houses are targeted and enforcement is maintained until the business shuts down.

(e)Training for patrol officers to recognize unsafe housing conditions.

  • Patrol officers will soon undergo a cross-training experience to alert them to specific conditions they may encounter during the course of other investigations that should be referred to the Safe Housing Committee. It is anticipated this joint effort will help identify derelict houses to the City sooner and in turn the appropriate course of action. Staff Sergeant Quail is the police liaison to the Safe Housing Committee.

2. (a) The Community Services Department has the following responses concerning community development and derelict housing.

Community Development Plan

  • Community Services has initiated and supported a number of community development processes on city-wide or issue based contexts. Extending this planning activity to a neighbourhood level is a new approach that the Department is exploring with Norwood Community representatives. The first part of this process would involve working with community representatives to define the vision, goals, and structure of a neighbourhood development plan that addresses improvements to the quality of life for neighbourhood residents. Currently this initiative would be considered as a pilot project and the initial work with the community would have to identify the processes and the resources required for the project.

3. Derelict Housing

  • The City is authorized under the Alberta Building Code 1995 and the Municipal Government Act to deal with derelict housing that is unsafe or unsightly. However, the MGA does not define “unsightly and detrimental to the surrounding area”. City Council could request that the Province amend the MGA to enable municipalities to deal with this situation.
  • The Safe Housing Committee is a collection of inspectors from the various disciplines (Health, Fire, Building Inspections) that are working together to upgrade properties to minimum standards of health and safety. The individual inspectors have legal status and are empowered under either the Safety Codes Act or Public Health Act but not under Section 546 of the MGA which deals with unsightly conditions. The City Manager could designate his authority under the Act to the inspectors on the Safe Housing Committee.

Others Approving this Report

  • Joyce Tustian, Community Services Department

Staff Hours to Prepare Report:10

Staff Cost:$50

Peripheral Cost:Nil

Total Cost of Inquiry Preparation:$500

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