Edmonton Ice District next target for public safety team
An Edmonton conference on city nightlife saw police and business owners discussing safety around the new arena
Edmonton police officers say they are already thinking of ways to ensure the new Ice District and Rogers Arena is a safe place for people to enjoy.
Safety was a main topic of discussion at an Edmonton conference on city nightlife, where police officers and business owners discussed ways of making entertainment areas successful for patrons and businesses alike.
Jasper and Whyte Avenues are being used as examples.
"When you look at Whyte Avenue, that wasn't meant to be an entertainment strip," said Acting Sgt. Joseph Allan.
"We had to figure out how to get X number of people off of Whyte Avenue at 2 a.m. with X number of cabs or X number of busses."
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Transportation is also a big issue for nightclub owners, including Chris Round, who manages numerous strip clubs in Edmonton.
Round, who is also part of the Responsible Hospitality Industry Association, said its important for law enforcement and city leaders to collaborate directly with industry members on issues like public safety, crime and transportation.
"Especially being in Edmonton, where its minus 40 and at 2 a.m. you have to kick everyone out in the street and there's not enough taxi cabs," Round said.
Discussions from the conference are likely to influence plans for the new Ice District opening in the fall.
"We're gonna have challenges and there's gonna be growing pains," Allan said.
"It's something that North America has never seen before, so all eyes are going to be on Edmonton."