New hope for Edmonton's Chinatown as city aims to make area into a cultural hub
City has poured millions into the area to improve safety and boost economy
Natasha Riebe · CBC News · Posted: Dec 07, 2023 8:00 AM MST | Last Updated: December 7, 2023
The entrance to Edmonton's Chinatown district. (Wallis Snowdon/CBC)
Edmonton's Chinatown has been plagued with crime and social disorder in recent years, but the City of Edmonton believes the area can be revitalized into a vibrant area that attracts thousands of people.
Wednesday at city hall, managers presented an overview of the plan with a focus on improving safety and security, diversifying businesses, and celebrating Chinatown as a cultural destination.
Brett Latchford, the city's director of strategy and emerging economy, said the end goal is to get people back to visit and spend time in Chinatown.
"It's a sharing of cultures and a place where everybody can come together, not only have good food because that's what most people think of it as, but also there's interesting shopping and businesses there," Latchford told news media.
People will feel comfortable to shop and also celebrate events like the Lunar New Year, he said.
"It serves visitors, it's honoured for its history, its future."
Right now, this vision is far from the reality.
The Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society, formed in 2018 to help rejuvenate the area, is implementing the renewed strategy.
Society co-chair Sandy Pon said they face ongoing challenges.
"Every day's a battle," she told reporters. "We've just got to constantly encourage everyone, from businesses to people who are living in the area, that there will be a brighter day."
She said social disorder continues and encampments have grown into a bigger issue than they anticipated.
She's determined to help make the community vibrant again.
"We are excited that these things will move ahead," she said. "It's not just about safety, but it's economic recovery, economic development, tourism, and bringing Edmonton to the map for good things."
Coun. Keren Tang made the motion in January this year to get regular updates on the Chinatown plan.
The original strategy started in 2014 as the Chinatown Economic Development Plan, established to study examples of successful Chinatowns in other cities and to recommend ways to boost Edmonton's socio-economic development.
Administration met with affected parties throughout the year to revalidate the need for the plan, and are developing a model to track and monitor progress.
In May 2022, two men, Hung Trang, 64, and Ban Phuc Hoang, 61, were attacked and killed in Chinatown.
In response, the Alberta government demanded that the city create a safety plan to address violence.
The city, in conjunction with police, social agencies and the province, launched a community hub dubbed the Healthy Streets Operations Centre.
City council approved more than $15 million for the hub for 2023 and 2024, with police getting $10 million of that for constables and equipment.
It's a base for teams of police, peace officers, paramedics and social workers who do rounds in Chinatown, the city's downtown and the Kingsway area, connecting with residents business owners and people experiencing homelessness.
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Pon said the operations centre has helped.
"For safety, it's always good to have eyes on the streets, boots on the ground," she told reporters, though she thinks more is needed than boots on the ground.
"We don't want to create a situation where people are only seeing policing on the street."
Sandy Pon, co-chair of the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society, is leading the renewed strategy for the district. (Natasha Riebe/CBC)
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he believes the operations hub is helping, but enforcement is part of the solution.
"I hope the investments we're making are having an effect, but there are bigger issues that are impacting the well-being of Chinatown," Sohi said during the committee meeting.
Later, he emphasized to reporters that provincial and federal governments are responsible for investing in housing and health, including addictions and homelessness.
"Lack of investment in social infrastructure is causing social disorder in our community," Sohi said.
Investing in Chinatown
City council approved $1.2 million in funding for the CTC to continue implementing actions of the Chinatown Strategy.
"There's a lot of money being spent in Chinatown," Latchford said.
Chinatown is part of the McCauley Neighbourhood Renewal, which includes millions of dollars to modernize infrastructure, like sidewalks, roads and lampposts.
The city has already invested millions in infrastructure in Chinatown, such as the streetscape enhancements on 97th Street and 107A Avenue and redeveloping Mary Burlie Park.
Council approved $6 million in the 2023-2026 budget for planning, design and delivery of a new Harbin Gate on 97 Street, just north of Jasper Avenue.
The gate was taken down in 2017 to make way for the Valley Line Southeast LRT and the replacement is expected to go up in 2026.
Early next year, the city is launching a new vibrancy grant worth $481,000 for initiatives in Chinatown.
It's replacing the Chinatown Recovery Grant of $1 million, supplied by one-time pandemic funding from various levels of government.
