A local talks about his experience and showed a bag of papers to support his claims. “The young girl hit me with her purse… 03:00 in the morning when I was sprayed with a bear,” the man said as he looked at witness statements he made at the Edmonton Police Department. CTV News Edmonton agreed not to name him for security reasons. Has been in the security industry for decades and was recently hired, through a contractor, to monitor LRT stations. “The city just wants us to observe and report,” he said. “It’s the worst because we are not allowed to do anything.” It tells of a time when he tried to protect a lady who asked a man to stop vandalizing city property. “She had told him something about intelligence. And he says, ‘Do you want to say that?’ He also says he saw a gun at work. “It was real and it was loaded.” He said he was once attacked with a knife. “If it were not for my vest, he would have stabbed me.” NARCAN administration to people who have experienced opioid overdose or poisoning has also been a case several times a day, he claims, especially during the night shift. “After 0130 you are no longer safe, you are babysitting. You have to watch out for these people.” He said not all the people he traded with were homeless, but he believed many of them were gang members. When he contacted CTV News Edmonton about what he was experiencing, he said: “I was suspended and removed from all ETS websites.” The employer told him he was not suspended for these reasons, but a spokesman did not provide further details. The security guard hopes to return to work, but has some changes he wants to see. These include: allowing only those who buy train tickets to stations, stricter enforcement rules and security guards working with peacekeepers in large numbers. CTV News Edmonton contacted the city of Edmonton for a specific response to this story.
ADDITIONAL CITY EMPLOYEES, SOCIAL WORK GROUPS
On Thursday, the mayor issued a statement regarding the security of the crossing and said that 21 new crossing police officers are in the process of being hired. “Let me be clear – illegal activity is not welcome in our transit system. There is no tolerance for violence or threatening behavior,” wrote Amarjeet Sohi. He added that he believes the root causes of crime in and around transit centers are complex and require more help from the provincial government to tackle them. The city is also adding more Community Transit Teams specializing in mental health, addiction and housing. With files from Joe Scarpelli of Edmonton CTV News
