Edmonton may be getting ready to take matters into its own hands when it comes to helping homeless people. 

Council's community and public services committee wants to see a detailed plan to expedite bridge housing — short-term shelter for people waiting to get into permanent supportive housing. 

On Wednesday, the committee asked the city's department of housing and homelessness to report back in March with cost estimates. 

The move was made with a fair bit of frustration on the part of Coun. Michael Walters, who pointed the finger at the Alberta government for not providing funding in its recent budget. 

"We do not have a champion on this issue in the legislature," Walters said Wednesday. "We've been asking and asking and asking the province to do what is ultimately their job — I'm proposing that we do an analysis on what it would cost us to do it ourselves."

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Walters is taking issue with Kaycee Madu, Alberta's minister of municipal affairs, over his stance on city spending. 

Madu reportedly made comments after an Edmonton Chamber of Commerce meeting Tuesday, cautioning Edmonton city council ahead of budget talks next week. 

"I think it's time he stops lecturing us and starts listening to our community and starts helping us solve this problem," Walters said. "And he needs to sit down with us and he needs to work it out with us."

Walters said Edmonton's lone government MLA doesn't seem to care about Edmonton city council, "who I suspect he sees largely as just a bunch of urban pinkos who just spent money wastefully."