'Heartless': Edmonton's removal of two public water fountains during heat wave harmful, says advocate

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Two recently-installed public water stations Downtown have been quietly and suddenly disconnected, a move one advocate called a “heartless” decision by the city amid temperatures so hot it prompted a heat warning in Edmonton this past weekend.

The City of Edmonton in May announced plans to install up to 20 temporary bottle-filling stations attached to fire hydrants this summer so the public can have access to safe drinking water and avoid dehydration. There were 17 locations with six in or around Downtown as of mid-June. Postmedia visited the six stations previously announced in the city’s core and found two disconnected by Monday — the station next to Bissell Centre West at 96 Street and 105A Avenue, and outside Stanley A. Milner Library at 100 Street and 102 Avenue. Four other stations in the core were still working.

Jim Gurnett, spokesperson for Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ECOHH), found the station near Bissell Centre disconnected by Thursday. The decision to disconnect two fountains without immediately providing alternatives made him feel “sick” and “awful,” he said.

Gurnett was near the station on 96 Street Sunday when temperatures soared and said several people tried to use it. The pump had been disconnected from the fire hydrant.

“People were parched, and there was no water available … every few minutes somebody came walking down the street expecting to be able to dip their head under the tap and cool off, or fill a water bottle, and it wasn’t working,” he told Postmedia Monday.

“Just about as heartless as you can get. It just says the lives of people who are struggling to survive on the streets do not matter to somebody in the administration that decided to shut them down … On the streets of Edmonton, people that don’t have access to water to stay hydrated and to stay healthy are going to suffer.”

Gurnett said the fountains have been a big benefit to the public since they were first offered as a pilot project in 2021. He wants to know why alternatives were not offered before the two stations shut down.

“If there are difficulties around the taps that they bother people going by, that’s something for the city to figure out how to resolve, but the answer is not to take the water away from the people who desperately need it,” he said.

A city spokesperson said the two stations will be moved to different locations chosen after consultations with stakeholders and helping people during heatwaves is important.

“Providing support for our city’s most vulnerable becomes especially critical in extreme weather conditions. During extreme heat, helping people avoid dehydration is increasingly important,” spokesperson Noor Al-Henedy stated in an email.

“The city is working with Epcor to have both locations up and running as soon as possible. During extreme weather events, city peace officers carry water bottles for distribution to vulnerable people they meet. There are also 24 water bottle filling stations in transit centres.”

A city representative told reporters in May the water station locations are chosen first for areas of greatest demand, particularly where people who are homeless are staying in the inner city and near public washrooms.

Asked on Monday if locations are determined by need if that means the need has changed or if another element supersedes the need for water, the city did not directly answer this question.

In response, Al-Henedy said city administration consulted with “a wide variety of partners” to determine locations including “frontline agencies, community networks, and businesses.”

Coun. Michael Janz, who was present for the city’s announcement about the new fountains in May, told Postmedia he disagrees with turning off the water during a heatwave.

“I want them to be open, and I want more of them to be open. I think they are critical for all of us,” he said. “I was out for a bike ride on the weekend and needed to refill my water bottle and thankfully one was open.

“Let’s get them open, let’s get them flowing.”

Janz said he’s hoping to get answers from city administration about why the fountains closed and why they are being moved.

‘We need water’

James Ostashek, who is living outside, was filling up two water bottles at the water station near Kinistinâw Park Monday afternoon. He said he appreciates the fountains, especially during the heat.

He was surprised and disappointed to hear two fountains weren’t working and he sees people using the station near Bissell Centre West all the time.

“What is the problem here? People are sweating … and they need to get water. That’s the bottom line,” he said. “We need water, we need to get refreshed, even clean ourselves. If we don’t go to the Bissell or the Hope, it’s good to get under one of these and cool off on a hot day.”

lboothby@postmedia.com

@laurby