The Chinatown area north of Edmonton’s downtown core has struggled for decades with crime and social disorder — including vandalism, open-drug use, aggressive behaviour and panhandling.
Amid the businesses and restaurants, there are several social agencies concentrated in the area and in recent years, many tent cities have also cropped up on the streets and open spaces.
Organizations that work with vulnerable Edmontonians reported a sharp rise in homelessness across the city since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has left a lingering impact on Chinatown.
An increase in safety concerns has driven some businesses to close — but the Chinatown community is passionate about bringing vibrancy back to the area.
To help, the City of Edmonton is investing $480,000 in each of the next two years into the Chinatown Revitalization Fund, with the hope business will host events and community projects.
The city and the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society hope an increase in visitor traffic in the area can reduce the visible disorder.
“We still have social disorder issues but having more people visiting Chinatown, it creates awareness,” said Sandy Pon with the society.
Restaurant owner Wilson Wong took over Vietnamese restaurant Boa & Hare (Van Loc) two years ago. He’s getting ready to open more business while advocating for investment in Chinatown.
Wong points to last year’s fund — also nearly half a million dollars — that went towards projects like the Van Block Party, which he says brought thousands of people to the area.
“You can only say so much about your own backyard, and if you’re going to be here in the city and you want to frequent the businesses, you’ve got to stop talking ill about it, you’ve got to contribute, you’ve got to do something about it,” said Wong.
One year since Edmonton releases public safety plan
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said it’ll be a slow return to the Chinatown it once was. An increased police budget and investment in crisis diversion teams have helped, but he admits it’s still not enough.
He’s once again calling on the province and federal government to step up.
“We all need to do more. If we are committed to doing more, we will recover faster,” said Sohi.
Applications for the revitalization fund close Feb. 28th.
Operations Hub in Chinatown winds down
