Quote:
Originally Posted by rrskylar
Nanaimo has always been a shithole, those who can't cut it on Vancouver Island end up living there.
I've travelled through dozens of European cities and never saw the numbers of panhandlers that you see here, I sincerely doubt the social safety net in most European countries is any better than it is here.
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Do you even think before you touch your keyboard? Homeless population counts are very difficult to get and can often vary, but to say that you "never saw the numbers of panhandlers that you see here" which directly implies that we have a homeless population problem and European cities do not, is demonstrably false.
This infographic suggests that the homeless population in many western European countries is not insignificant. Moreover, when you traveled to European cities, did you do so intentionally looking to tour their decrepit and rundown neighborhoods or did you travel there to explore well-known and prosperous regions, sights, and destinations? It all comes down to where you go.
What you see in your day to day life in Winnipeg is not comparable to the sample bias of visiting touristy destinations in large European cities. One could easily argue that a European tourist who flew to Winnipeg and took a taxi around to visit all of our famous local destinations would leave with a similar sentiment about their own hometown. If you came to Manitoba, stayed at the Fort Garry and used a taxi to see the airport, Museum for Human Rights, The Forks, Assiniboine forest and park, the Zoo, Exchange district, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Birds Hill Park, and Grand Beach, you would likely return home thinking that Winnipeg was a clean and tidy modern city with above-average green space (especially to European standards). Of course we as citizens know that there are issues here - including homelessness - but these issues are not unique to any urban area in the western world.
As for numbers of homeless in Winnipeg, a recent homeless census surveyed around 1,400 people, while another google search suggests 3,000 to 14,000 - a massive range. The point is that any city is going to have homeless people and that Winnipeg isn't above-average in this regard but it's still an issue we should work towards addressing. However, comparing your tourist visits which are likely limited to major European sites is not comparable to what you see every day in Winnipeg or any city one would live in for that matter.