Edmonton Police Service (EPS) Chief Dale McFee called for restrictions on immigration multiple times, saying that “when one more is added, there’s more risk,” in a recent podcast appearance.
“[Immigration] just can't be a free-for-all, because otherwise, you just don't know what is coming or what could be here now,” McFee said in a December 2 interview on the Quiet Professional podcast, which is hosted by EPS officer Nathan Romas.
The Edmonton Police Service, the Edmonton Police Commission, and the office of Minister of Public Safety Mike Ellis did not reply to inquiries about the chief’s comments.
Islamic Family and Social Services executive director Omar Yaqub said McFee is mischaracterizing how Canada’s immigration system works. According to Yaqub, the Canadian immigration process is “actually a very onerous one.” This extensive process requires substantial documentation and vetting including insight into an immigrant's potential criminal past. In some cases, this process can take years.
The immigration process will only get more difficult as the federal government plans to reduce immigration levels for 2025-27. Yaqub points out that current data indicates that immigrants are less likely to engage in criminal activity.
“Connecting immigrants to risk is the wrong takeaway. The risk is in our institutions not adapting to a more diverse Alberta. We need our institutions to reflect our changing demographics - this can lead to better systems for all Albertans.”
Yaqub calls for EPS to create changes that reflect the community and encourages more consideration in the discussion revolving around immigration and criminality, “This is an opportunity for EPS to reflect on how it can better serve and better respond to a more diverse Edmonton.”
McFee recently announced that he will be retiring from his position on Feb. 21, 2025.
Erroneous statements on violent police raid of anti-genocide encampments
McFee’s comments on immigration came in the context of an extended discussion on the violent dawn raid and eventual clearance of anti-genocide encampment at the University of Alberta on May 11, 2024.
The anti-genocide encampment was called the People’s University for Palestine encampment, which was set up by University of Alberta and MacEwan University students on May 9. It lasted two nights before the EPS showed up at 4 a.m. to sweep it at the University of Alberta’s behest.
McFee was pleased with the performance of his officers. “[I’m] very happy with the actions of our team and just how they did that so quickly. And obviously, with minimal impact to folks in the area, and certainly without injury, as we're aware of it even today,” he said.
Image of an injury suffered by a participant in the People’s University for Palestine encampment from the EPS. Via Instagram.
“The whole thing honestly could have just been diverted if the people there that were actually protesting or demonstrating would have took the third, the fourth, or the fifth warning before we came in.”
Justice Adele Kent, a third-party investigator the U of A hired to investigate the encampment sweep, noted in her recently released final report that “at 4:30 am, Officer A announced over an air horn that the Encampment participants had 30 minutes to leave. About five minutes later the police started to move.”
Screenshot from video of police raid on peaceful anti-genocide encampment at the University of Alberta on May 11, 2024 via Instagram.
“There were no students there when we arrived,” McFee claimed in the podcast, adding that he was disappointed that two charges of assault levied against protesters were stayed by prosecutors.
Ali Ansari is a U of A student who was present during the sweep.
“While there is plenty of video evidence that shows officers assaulting protestors, there is zero evidence that has been brought forward to prove the claim that officers were getting assaulted. The lack of evidence to support this claim is quite damning, considering how many cameras both police and protestors had,” said Ansari.
Picture of Chief Dale McFee in a keffiyeh and a kippah are taken from a Tweet from his account on Oct. 19, 2023.
Freedom of information requests made by Jeremy Appel found that U of A security personnel had labelled the encampment as “extremely peaceful.”
Throughout the podcast, McFee talked about professional outside agitators, “bad actors,” and brought up negative comments on social media and Twitter more than ten times.
Fatima Saleh is a community organizer with the pro-Palestine movement in Edmonton. “The immigrants that come from our communities are typically the model minority type that believe cops keep you safe,” said Saleh.
She rejected the claim that there are “bad actors” within the community and stated that this is a tactic by EPS to avoid accountability.
Fatemma Abdalla of the National Council of Canadian Muslims said her organization is “extremely saddened and disappointed” by McFee’s comments.
“The rhetoric put forward by Chief McFee about the dangers posed by protestors - and suggesting that Canada has got a ‘whole raft of immigrants,’ is both divisive, ahistorical and silly,” said Fatemma Abdalla of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
“Unfortunately, Chief McFee’s comments are merely yet another worsening example of the relationship between EPS leadership and citizens. New leadership must provide a path forward, not a path into the politics of division.”
McFee on homelessness and Councillor Janz
Romas asked the chief about the Navigation Centre that the United Conservative Party government set up earlier this year in concert with McFee’s crackdown on unhoused people in tents. Romas did not inquire about data that shows that frostbite injuries and amputations spiked during the same time.
“The thing is, is what we find there is, we’ve been you know, not we, but some let’s politically motivated, have tried to identify this as a homeless issue. And you know, I’m not saying there’s not homeless people in Edmonton, don’t get me wrong,” said McFee.
He went on to dispute the numbers that show homelessness rose in Edmonton by 47 per cent in 2024 and to advocate for the forced drug treatment legislation that the UCP are promising to introduce in the spring.
Romas asked McFee if he’s listened to Edmonton city councillor Michael Janz’s recent appearance on the Quiet Professional.
McFee called it “frightening” that Janz, an elected politician, talked about political mobilization.
“He’s saying that the number one job for him is to mobilize, to get people behind a cause, that’s a bit frightening because if that’s what it is, that really could be chaos.”
McFee went on to say that Janz called him racist, called cops pigs, that Janz wants to decriminalize drugs and do safe supply and that he was part of the movement to get armed police out of schools.
“And I mean, that’s his prerogative… I’m not saying it’s against the law. What I am saying is it sometimes, could, you know, maybe lead some things in the wrong direction… it’s going to create chaos,” said McFee.
“Honest to goodness, I mean, [Janz] said all those things about me, and when I went up and shook his hand, he didn’t know who I was.”
Coun. Janz denies the claims made by McFee and said in an emailed statement that McFee is referring to an incident when they “crossed paths” in the city hall lobby soon after Janz was elected in 2021.
“He was not wearing his police uniform, and at first I didn’t recognize [him]. I apologized that I didn’t recognize him out of uniform and I am sorry to hear that this upset him,” said Janz.
With files from Duncan Kinney
Disclosure: Nour Salhi was a participant and spokesperson for the People’s University for Palestine encampment at the University of Alberta.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Quiet Professional was produced by the Edmonton Police Association. The relationship between the EPA and the Quiet Professional podcast was terminated in 2023. We regret the error.