Council looking to expand funding for volunteer clean-up in Edmonton's Chinatown

Pedestrians make their way past the under construction new Chinatown Gate, 97 Street south of Jasper Avenue, in Edmonton Tuesday Sept. 1, 2026. 97 Street will be temporarily fully closed to vehicle traffic between Jasper Avenue and Okîsikow (Angel) Way for approximately two weeks during construction. City council will debate whether to increase funding for volunteer groups stepping up to clean the area so they can do so more frequently as part of its four-year budget deliberations. PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM /Postmedia City council is looking to enhance funding for volunteer groups rolling up their sleeves to keep Chinatown clean and vibrant. On Wednesday, members of the Executive Council voted 5-0 to prepare a pilot program working with volunteer groups through dedicated funding to enhance efforts to clean up the historic neighbourhood. The program will be discussed as part of the city’s upcoming four-year budget deliberations. “City funding can (only) go so far when it comes to cleanliness,” said Ward Karhiio Coun. Keren Tang, who wrote the motion. “We do biohazards, we do regular clean-up — but it’s never enough. The symptom is getting bigger. “You’re seeing volunteer community groups being activated — some of those have been running for four years, every month and they’d like to scale up. I’d like to give them an opportunity to test it out.” Administration undertook a survey of residents in Chinatown to get feedback on what is working and what isn’t in the city’s efforts to revitalize the area. Residents told the city people were doing their best but there was inconsistency as to when and how much clean-ups were done, notably volunteers cleaning up garbage during the weekend are only able to do so once a month. Other issues highlighted in the survey included, overflowing garbage bins and illegal dumping, litter including construction debris and biohazardous materials like needles and impacts from encampments. Human byproducts such as bodily fluids and excretions are also staining sidewalks, requiring costly power washing to remove. Non-profits, including Hope Mission, the Chinatown Business Improvement Area (BIA) and Re:VITA, have been trying to keep up with the mess, but some advocates cautioned volunteers are not properly trained to deal with the potential risks from handling such volatile waste — nor should they be expected to. Read More Chinatown a lion's den for dancing this weekend as Pan-American competition begins Chinatown Business…