A national Indigenous organization is calling for an explanation from the Edmonton Police Service after a woman and her family were accused of not paying for transit while riding the LRT to an event on Thursday.
Jocelyn Wabano-Iahtail was on her way to the National Elders Gathering, which took place at the Edmonton Expo Centre this week.
Her pass for the event included free use of buses and the LRT.
Wabano-Iahtail posted a video to Facebook that shows two Edmonton police officers asking for proof of purchase of a transit ticket. One officer says he will call Edmonton Transit System to check on whether transit is included in the event pass. Once off the phone, the officer then asks to check Wabano-Iahtail and her family’s identification.
She asks the police officers to come with her to the event, and they all exit the train at Coliseum Station and continue the conversation before the video ends.
City officials confirmed to CBC News Friday that the LRT service to and from the Edmonton Expo Centre was free for all attendees.
Wabano-Iahtail could not immediately be reached for comment, but Judy Kim-Meneen, co-event coordinator of the National Elders Gathering, confirmed the details of the video.
“[The police officer] was asking for proof of payment. Jocelyn showed him the badge, saying ‘No, this badge gives us complimentary access to this LRT because we are attending the national gathering of elders,'” Kim-Meneern said.
“The police officer was not aware of it. He kept asking them, saying ‘No, the badge is not a proof of payment.'”
EPS did not respond to CBC’s request for comment Saturday.
‘There should have been better communication’
In a post on Facebook, the National Elders Gathering said it is “very concerned” about how Wabano-Iahtail and her family were treated. The organization is calling on EPS to apologize to her and her son.
Kim-Meneen said she feels the police showed a lack of empathy and understanding, and believes the incident highlights a breakdown in communication between Edmonton transit and city police.
She said she spoke with EPS a week before the National Elders Gathering. An agreement was made that anyone with a badge to the event would have free access to the Edmonton Transit System for the duration of the gathering.
She said she sent a copy of the badge so city police and transit employees would know what it looked like.
“I was frustrated on behalf of Jocelyn. I felt sorry that she had to go through that,” she said. “Attacked, basically, penalized for who she was because she did not have proof because she knew that the badge got her access. It was just a sheer frustration, that lack of communication in all directions that led up to this point.”
Kim-Meneen said ETS contacted her after the incident to confirm the badges counted towards bus and LRT fare, and that their employees were aware of this.
She said she’s wondering why it was city police and not ETS transit officers that were questioning Wabano-Iahtail about fare payment. She said she has not heard from EPS.
“I would like to know their side of the story, because no one has approached us about it … on what exactly happened,” she said.
“There should have been better communication.”