ELISE STOLTE Hamilton blasts Dziadyk over sanctuary stance
‘To grandstand on dignity, basic human dignity, is appalling’: Ward 5 councillor
Coun. Sarah Hamilton called out one of her colleagues as “grandstanding ” on the back of vulnerable people Tuesday in an emotional outburst over a type of sanctuary city policy.
Coun. Jon Dziadyk had said he’d be voting against a motion to ensure people with precarious immigration status could still access public transit and recreation centres. He said immigration was a federal jurisdiction and sending this message could discourage people from following Canada’s immigration laws.
But Hamilton was so upset, she searched for words.
“For shame. For shame,” she said. “Forgive me because I’m furious right now.”
“I’ve seen first-hand how the immigration system grinds people down to nothing, to nothing,” she said. “The federal and provincial governments have a ton of things they should be doing but this is fundamentally, fundamentally about affording people the right to live in a city without fear.
“To grandstand on dignity, basic human dignity, is appalling. I am absolutely furious about this.”
Outside committee, Hamilton said her comments related to an experience she had working in a restaurant in Arizona alongside someone who was brought to the United States when he was two. He had no paperwork until he was an adult and married an American citizen, which meant he couldn’t go to university or even get a driver’s licence. He worked for $6 an hour.
Council voted 10-3 to accept the new Access Without Fear policy, with Dziadyk and councillors Mike Nickel and Tony Caterina voting against.
Dziadyk said he believes the policy is well-intended but doesn’t solve the basic immigration issues and could provide an incentive to going underground.
“I think it’s a Band-Aid solution.
It will provide some relief but won’t solve the problem.”
When sanctuary cities and undocumented immigrants hit the news, people often assume Edmonton is experiencing the same issue that faces American cities, said Coun. Aaron Paquette.
Those cities have large populations of people who walked across a border without registering.
But here in Edmonton, most people in this position were invited to come.
“The vast majority of people were temporary foreign workers,” said Paquette. They came to work but the program set up by the federal government had no clear path for them to stay.
For some, their status is in jeopardy because they fled an abusive work situation. Others came, built their lives here, then couldn’t get their permits renewed. Most are in the process of reapplying but don’t want to leave homes and communities while they do that.
“They’re paying taxes. They’re contributing to our society. They’re our neighbours,” he said.
“This was a flawed program and now municipalities are left picking up the pieces,” said Paquette.
Edmonton’s policy does not affect the Edmonton Police Service. It does affect city peace officers, directing them to accept other forms of identification for violations like jaywalking so a non-criminal runin doesn’t lead to deportation.
City officials don’t have numbers on how many people have no formal immigration status or precarious status in Edmonton.
But they said they don’t expect the policy to have a significant financial effect.
If someone doesn’t have the documentation needed to get a lowincome transit or recreation centre pass, this policy allows them to work with a support agency.
That agency can then vouch for their low-income status.
A similar program is in place for people who are homeless.
They’re paying taxes. They’re contributing to our society. They’re our neighbours.