Downtown Update

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by urban_planner

Hamilton biggest problem and it has been forever isn't the street people. It's the everyone shits all over downtown and for whatever reason thinks this homelessness problem is strictly a Hamilton issue. Get over it. It's like this everywhere. I'm not living in a town with 1000 people and guess what we have a homeless guy living under a bridge. Norfork County OPP is daily getting calls in Simcoe for homeless people putting up tents where ever they feel like it.

Don't go to the east part of Downtown London. It's much worse than what I've seen Downtown Hamilton.

I'm so sick of hearing it. Get over it, it's never going away.

I really don't understand why Hamiltonians obsess over it and obsesse over being so negative.

There is a North America-wide opioid crisis. There is also a Canada-wide (at least) housing crisis. The "It's everywhere!" argument may be true, and we can debate about which cities have it better or worse, but common problems do not mean that this is not a massive existential threat for downtown Hamilton. It is not a competition. A number of places can be in trouble at the same time.

How many US cities saw a more-or-less simultaneous hollowing out and flight to the suburbs in recent decades?

Cities to this point have more or less been left to fend for themselves on these types of matters. They are worth acknowledging.

All of this said, I can semi-buy the "It's everywhere!" (and thus we can't do much about it on an individual basis) argument. What I can't buy are the denials that this is a massive issue and impediment to the growth of downtown. The tax court has left. Santa has left. Others can leave. There is a big, big, big issue.

[TheHonestMaple]

It is absolutely a major issue, and it really concerns me when some people just brush the issue aside like that. and you're completely right, Santa left, the court left, and how many other businesses have left and we just don't know about it? I'm sure many many have.

Something needs to change. It is not at all reasonable to just say "this is a problem everywhere". I'm sorry but that's just unacceptable. Yes, it's a problem elsewhere too, and the problems there needs to be fixed as well.

I was so happy to hear the government has decided to close the injection sites. That's an extremely positive move that is going to save countless lives and reduce crime in our downtown. Those injection sites are unscientific, progressive nonsense, drug dens and crime centres. You cannot ignore how bad the area around the injection site has been since it opened. From the official government press release: "Near the Hamilton site, reports of violent crime were 195 per cent higher compared to the rest of the city" . I'm so glad common sense seems to be returning to the mainstream. One step at a time.

[ScreamingViking]

I don't think anyone here has said they're happy with the tents and the behaviours. It is a giant impediment and a big negative. Some of us may have more tolerance for it. But that doesn't mean we don't recognize it as a key issue.

It's a complex problem and there is no single solution (like putting them all in psych hospitals, or the horrible comment earlier about giving them all fentanyl... maybe bullets would be cheaper? or perhaps a bunch of big-guys with bats that can be donated to local baseball teams after the Big Purge?? But sure, let's resort to murder ). The fact senior levels of government have left this to cities to handle is atrocious -- it will take more than just handing down $X to provide social housing, and if any one municipality does come up with a local band-aid solution I think it will just kick the problem down the road to the next place that doesn't have one.

Cities should never have had social programming downloaded on them in the first place. This is an issue 25 years in the making, exacerbated by the housing market and drug trends and events of the past 4 years like Covid-19. And the stuff we see in public is just the top of the iceberg... I think a lot goes on behind closed doors that is just as detrimental to families.

The provincial and federal governments need to step up in a huge way on this! I think all we can do is make this an election issue, before they will pay much attention.

[craftbeerdad]

Screaming Viking is quite right. This isn't a new problem, it's just been exacerbated by COVID, where people were guided to bigger regional cities for support on top of our existing homeless/drug addicts/mentally incapable individuals.

I'm not sure if closing CTS will help or not. The bigger issue is City Councilors negative tone towards police and making decisions that snowball the cost of containment. Why not tell the school board they're taking Sir John A McDonald and turning into an all inclusive of support? We're the tax payers, so screw the schoolboard, we need a plan, not a prayer.

Desensitizing the public towards open drug use is a bizarre tactic. I don't care about seeing this stuff as an adult, but I worry for people who aren't as tolerant, parents taking kids to parks, etc. Letting people who have no means or mentally capable live on the street is sad and wrong.

Councilors approach during the pandemic has backfired and people are livid. Using passive aggressive language towards "privileged home owners," has snowballed. Our city has a self declared climate change emergency, abuse towards women emergency and garbage epidemic and if you complain about people starting fires on the escarpment, don't worry, turn on your air conditioner and close your windows. Brilliant, that will solve the climate change emergency. For crying out loud we have to do a survey so we can tell the city we need garbage cans and god forbid recycling receptacles in the lower city.

Back on topic...honestly, I'd be worried even if we had coordination from different levels of government to address all these pressing issues, somehow these financial wizards would eff that up too. These geniuses also hired the most expensive consultants to "rebuild" our city infrastructure after the hack, which at this point would have been cheaper by >$2M to restore old systems. My friend told me about the hack in February (works in cybersecurity in Calgary), which guess what, was the property tax mechanism infiltrated so our identities are known. City Council told us in April that they knew of it...nothing like being transparent.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

A couple? Have you been near the YWCA or GO Station. Literally hundreds roaming around that area high on drugs or in a psychotic state. Pretending the problem isn't there won't solve anything.

His version of "downtown" probably just involves the king st/king william st area - many people forget there is a much larger area that encompasses "downtown".

I have been to Detroit Michigan and Flint Michigan - we are not there yet - that really did put things into perspective for me growing up - but we are on our way there if we don't do something. And yes, I remember how it was 20 to 30 years ago - I remember when it flourished and then I remember when it collapsed and mental hospital patients were released into the downtown. I once tried to help a homeless man - I gave him about 50 dollars and he kept asking for more and more and more money - you try to give these people food and they throw it out, because they just want money for drugs.

Yes, granted some are starving - they used to run a program called Hamilton out of the cold which used to help feed these people - but I think it stopped during the pandemic. I would love to know each of these junkie's/homeless people's stories to understand how they got to where they are, it might help to put programs in place to help prevent others from meeting the same fate. Or at least better programs of prevention vs just treatment. Like what made them turn to drugs? What caused them to lose their homes? It seems like the more logical course to be able to address it. It can't all just have been bad decision making - most don't turn to drugs unless their life situation is pretty bad..

Anyone remember the stories of the shantytown village that used to exist under the bridge around princess point? It took them years to clear that one out back in the 1800/1900s. This isn't something new for Hamilton unfortunately. Things in the past in some ways were FAR worse than they are today when it came to disparities of poverty - did you know there was one time when there were no trees on the escarpment, because they had all been cut down for lumber/firewood? There were entire poverty stretches of hamilton in the 1800s - imagine after the great fires that burned a lot of the old wooden city to the ground..

The only issue with closing the injection sites was at least picking up needles would have been localized to those areas - now people are going to have to watch out for needles in random places. I mean, they probably did anyways but still. I remember as a kid the videos of don't pick up a needle if you see one advertisements. Those probably need to come back.. not that I watch commercials anymore...

[matt602]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

I was so happy to hear the government has decided to close the injection sites. That's an extremely positive move that is going to save countless lives and reduce crime in our downtown. Those injection sites are unscientific, progressive nonsense, drug dens and crime centres. You cannot ignore how bad the area around the injection site has been since it opened. From the official government press release: "Near the Hamilton site, reports of violent crime were 195 per cent higher compared to the rest of the city" . I'm so glad common sense seems to be returning to the mainstream. One step at a time.

You clearly don't understand how addiction works if you think taking away harm reduction will somehow save lives. The addiction doesn't just go away because you've made it harder for someone to do drugs.

[TheHonestMaple]

Originally Posted by matt602

You clearly don't understand how addiction works if you think taking away harm reduction will somehow save lives. The addiction doesn't just go away because you've made it harder for someone to do drugs.

well you obviously haven't looked into what the government is doing then if you're going to say that to me. They're not just closing them without any plan. They're allowing them to remain open if they agree to convert to treatment hubs. "Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs"

As part of a comprehensive system of care that prioritizes community safety and focuses on giving people their lives back through treatment and recovery, as well as upstream investments in prevention, the province is investing $378 million in 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs. These new hubs are in addition to more than $3.8 billion the province is currently investing through its Roadmap to Wellness and nearly $700 million for supportive housing through the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program each year.

It's complete progressive propaganda that those injection sites are "safe". They cause far more harm than good, by enabling the behaviour and increasing violent crime in the area. Not a single person who has ever used a safe injection site has been able to get off drugs. It's simply not possible. You can't give drug addicts more drugs and expect them to get better. What these people need is real intervention.

All we have to do is say NO. Enough is enough.

btw, how about you go to Caroline Huebner-Makurat's family and tell her that injection sites are a positive for the community.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

well you obviously haven't looked into what the government is doing then if you're going to say that to me. They're not just closing them without any plan. They're allowing them to remain open if they agree to convert to treatment hubs. "Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs"

As part of a comprehensive system of care that prioritizes community safety and focuses on giving people their lives back through treatment and recovery, as well as upstream investments in prevention, the province is investing $378 million in 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs. These new hubs are in addition to more than $3.8 billion the province is currently investing through its Roadmap to Wellness and nearly $700 million for supportive housing through the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program each year.

It's complete progressive propaganda that those injection sites are "safe". They cause far more harm than good, by enabling the behaviour and increasing violent crime in the area. Not a single person who has ever used a safe injection site has been able to get off drugs. It's simply not possible. You can't give drug addicts more drugs and expect them to get better. What these people need is real intervention.

All we have to do is say NO. Enough is enough.

btw, how about you go to Caroline Huebner-Makurat's family and tell her that injection sites are a positive for the community.

Interesting - so how will these communities help them? I have heard of these in the past... does a certain amt of time of positive society re-integration behaviour have to occur within these centers before they will be allowed to be released? Kinda like it was for mental health centers - where you had to prove you were rehabilitated mentally before you could be released?

And how do they deal with people going through detox? People can get quite violent when going through that.. I hope they'd have the facilities to essentially quarantine these people and have them under observation so they are not a danger to others, or themselves.. I'd be curious to know more - as obv this is what many of us have been HOPING would be implemented, on a more stable basis. Yes giving people drugs has to stop, as giving people drugs does not stop addiction, and of course it has to be replaced with these types of treatment facilities.

But, and of course this is gonna sound bad, but the most obvious victims of these drug habits that will not go to these centers on their own have to be PUT into them - and I know what you're thinking - like those cartoon pound cars with the hoop sticks or net sticks rounding them all up.. but probably not that far off from it either lol.. a human pound, without the euthanasia lol..

but like someone said before - there is a clause somewhere that allows people to forcibly put people in those centers if certain criteria are met, so I hope these people are made to be given the help they need.. I just am unsure if it would help.. can we help those who do not want the help? Or is a long term care facility needed - and is that fair on taxpayers? When people give up on life, whose job is it to step up? Can every person be helped? Or will some stubbornly refuse until the bitter end?

[urban_planner]

https://x.com/ViralNewsNYC/status/18...169348631?s=19

[TheHonestMaple]

Originally Posted by urban_planner

https://x.com/ViralNewsNYC/status/18...169348631?s=19

Looks almost as bad as there are around the YWCA in Hamilton lol. In all seriousness... Canada and the USA have not taken the addiction crisis seriously. We've allowed activists to hijack the system, and it has caused our cities to turn into zombieland. Dangerous injections sites, free pipes and needles, free drugs. Who could have guessed that would end in failure... I suspect 2025 will be the year the federal governments of both countries take back control and mandate forced treatment.

[BCTed]

I am a bit surprised that nobody has posted the below yet. We really can't deny that there are monumental problems.

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...a4314ccd4.html

[TheHonestMaple]

Originally Posted by BCTed

I am a bit surprised that nobody has posted the below yet. We really can't deny that there are monumental problems.

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...a4314ccd4.html

the people that deny it are part of the problem. They need to be called out at every instance.

[HamiltonBoyInToronto]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

Looks almost as bad as there are around the YWCA in Hamilton lol. In all seriousness... Canada and the USA have not taken the addiction crisis seriously. We've allowed activists to hijack the system, and it has caused our cities to turn into zombieland. Dangerous injections sites, free pipes and needles, free drugs. Who could have guessed that would end in failure... I suspect 2025 will be the year the federal governments of both countries take back control and mandate forced treatment.

The problem lies with the police and authorities of the city.... safe injection sites and drug plans for addicts have worked in other countries but here in Hamilton you can literally watch a police office walk by as some crackhead in using in the middle of the street... there is no order. Cops would rather pull you over for not using your signal light while driving (because they can make money from that)
These encampments should never have been allowed !! We have opened the flood gates for every lazy drug addicted mentally unstable person from all the smaller communities around Hamilton to lay claim to our parks and alleyways

Get them out -

[TheHonestMaple]

yeah it has completely gone out of control. My friend just left his downtown apartment because of how bad it was around his place, moved to Burlington. How many others have left? Expect people and money to leave the core rapidly unless something is done soon.

[Allroadsleadtoham]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

yeah it has completely gone out of control. My friend just left his downtown apartment because of how bad it was around his place, moved to Burlington. How many others have left? Expect people and money to leave the core rapidly unless something is done soon.

I'm noticing an increased presence of police and security guards in the area. While I sympathize with local businesses, the real catalyst for change will likely be the increased foot traffic from new developments. As interest rates decrease, development is expected to accelerate. Given Hamilton's geographical position, the city is set to grow regardless. It's frustrating to hear ongoing arguments among city councillors and the police association when a stronger police presence is clearly needed. The city council seems disorganized at this critical time. Im referring to Ward 2s councillor.

Sources
[1] Hamilton Police Service | To Serve & Protect in Partnership with Our ... https://hamiltonpolice.on.ca
[2] GardaWorld Hamilton Security Services https://www.garda.com/locations/cana...ervices-branch
[3] Newsroom Hamilton Police Service https://hamiltonpolice.on.ca/news/
[4] Hamilton-area Today: Five injured in shootings at two city bars + ... https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...c231b4e50.html
[5] Hamilton Police (@HamiltonPolice) / X https://twitter.com/hamiltonpolice?lang=en
[6] Hamilton Security Services https://blackbirdsecurity.ca/products/hamilton
[7] Hamilton Police on X: "Good morning #HamOnt! Wondering about ... https://twitter.com/HamiltonPolice/s...33215680254430