Homicide stats in Canadian Cities

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by drew

It just highlights where the most striking poverty in Canada exists. It should be no surprise that poverty goes hand in hand with higher murder/crime rates.

It is also a hard thing for a city like Winnipeg to address.

It is no secret that poverty, especially in Winnipeg, is linked disproportionately to First Nations.

A direct line for this poverty can be drawn to the reserves within this province.

Reserves and all the policies, both current and historical, that bring us to where we are, are the absolute domain of the Federal Government. And remain that way today.

Cities are generally powerless to address the causes of this poverty, but suffer the results. It is has been easy for these issues to be overlooked or ignored by the Federal government - based on geography and the relative lack of political clout in a city like Winnipeg, Regina or Saskatoon.

It's easy to go "tsk tsk Winnipeg, get your shit together". We are the public face of a national problem.

It should be "tsk tsk Ottawa, get your shit together".

Good post. I agree.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

Legalizing/Decriminalizing drugs has to be part of the equation.

The infrastructure and built space itself is also crucial. If an area is full of homeless people in bus shelters, chain fences, boarded up windows, and shattered glass chances are the alarm bells ring and people sense a looming threat of danger nearby. I was walking through the West End today near U of W and man is it in rough shape. Very charming neighborhood with loads of character, but I just wouldn’t feel safe walking at night.

I made this point in the MB/SK subforum and took it on the chin from some posters. But anyone familiar with the area can recognize the sheer decline that has happened there over the past few years. The pandemic accelerated it, but it began well before 2020.

[ssiguy]

There is no getting away from the fact that Canada's crime ridden areas also have a disproportionately high Native population. From social isolation, poverty, racism, and the horrific impacts of our residential school system that has left generations scarred.

Another issue that is far more prevalent in Native communities which has a profound effects on Native peoples is that many are born suffering from fetal alcohol/drug syndrome.

[Luisito]

Originally Posted by esquire

I made this point in the MB/SK subforum and took it on the chin from some posters. But anyone familiar with the area can recognize the sheer decline that has happened there over the past few years. The pandemic accelerated it, but it began well before 2020.

Has that area really gotten worse? There have always been a lot of drugs in that area and a lot of bullshit going on.

I agree with the previous poster, it's really too bad because the old houses aroiund there are really nice. The area could be so much better. Still a pretty cool area regardless.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Luisito

Has that area really gotten worse? There have always been a lot of drugs in that area and a lot of bullshit going on.

I agree with the previous poster, it's really too bad because the old houses aroiund there are really nice. The area could be so much better. Still a pretty cool area regardless.

In my view there has been a pretty visible decline. For a while in the early 00s when immigration went up but the housing supply hadn't really expanded greatly since the 90s doldrums there was a bit of an improvement in the West End, but the bottom fell out pretty quickly about 15 years ago when a few key factors converged... way more housing was built throughout the city which made the West End less appealing to those with options, and a boom in meth and other similar drugs really ramped up the crime and roughness factor of the West End area.

If you are familiar with Rev. Harry Lehotsky, he and his ministry did incredible work helping to turn the West End around... he died at a young age due to cancer in November 2006 and honestly, it feels like that is pretty much when the decline there began in earnest, and covid only accelerated that process. Parts of the West End now look much worse than they did 15 years ago.

[plrh]

Originally Posted by esquire

In my view there has been a pretty visible decline. For a while in the early 00s when immigration went up but the housing supply hadn't really expanded greatly since the 90s doldrums there was a bit of an improvement in the West End, but the bottom fell out pretty quickly about 15 years ago when a few key factors converged... way more housing was built throughout the city which made the West End less appealing to those with options, and a boom in meth and other similar drugs really ramped up the crime and roughness factor of the West End area.

If you are familiar with Rev. Harry Lehotsky, he and his ministry did incredible work helping to turn the West End around... he died at a young age due to cancer in November 2006 and honestly, it feels like that is pretty much when the decline there began in earnest, and covid only accelerated that process. Parts of the West End now look much worse than they did 15 years ago.

I don't think this is true throughout the entire area. West Broadway seems far better than it was in 2006. The northern part seems worse but south of Portage is generally not bad.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by plrh

I don't think this is true throughout the entire area. West Broadway seems far better than it was in 2006. The northern part seems worse but south of Portage is generally not bad.

Yes, it's fair to say that West Broadway has improved fairly steadily over the last 25 years. But that's a different area than the West End, which is generally thought of as the area between Portage and Notre Dame. A fairly outsized amount of crime happens in the West End, particularly as you get closer to the western edges of the downtown area closer to Central Park.

It obviously doesn't help downtown Winnipeg given that so many social problems and so much crime happens to be concentrated on the area's western edges (West End) and northern edges (Centennial).

[Jammon]

Originally Posted by drew

It just highlights where the most striking poverty in Canada exists. It should be no surprise that poverty goes hand in hand with higher murder/crime rates.

It is also a hard thing for a city like Winnipeg to address.

It is no secret that poverty, especially in Winnipeg, is linked disproportionately to First Nations.

A direct line for this poverty can be drawn to the reserves within this province.

Reserves and all the policies, both current and historical, that bring us to where we are, are the absolute domain of the Federal Government. And remain that way today.

Cities are generally powerless to address the causes of this poverty, but suffer the results. It is has been easy for these issues to be overlooked or ignored by the Federal government - based on geography and the relative lack of political clout in a city like Winnipeg, Regina or Saskatoon.

It's easy to go "tsk tsk Winnipeg, get your shit together". We are the public face of a national problem.

It should be "tsk tsk Ottawa, get your shit together".

One of the simplest and strongest posts I've seen about the subject. Winnipeg sees this all the time- poverty from the reserves translates to crime in the city. I've worked with so many indigenous communities where crime is rampant- indigenous gangs target the reserves and get the kids hooked on substances and they come to the city to look for fixes and inevitably get into criminal activity once they come to Winnipeg. It's truly a multi-pronged approach that requires effort from all levels of government.

[plrh]

Originally Posted by esquire

Yes, it's fair to say that West Broadway has improved fairly steadily over the last 25 years. But that's a different area than the West End, which is generally thought of as the area between Portage and Notre Dame. A fairly outsized amount of crime happens in the West End, particularly as you get closer to the western edges of the downtown area closer to Central Park.

It obviously doesn't help downtown Winnipeg given that so many social problems and so much crime happens to be concentrated on the area's western edges (West End) and northern edges (Centennial).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_E...ba,_Canada.png

I was working off of this map. Spence and Colony neighbourhoods are pretty crappy. I agree with your specific assessment.

[Jammon]

Originally Posted by plrh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_E...ba,_Canada.png

I was working off of this map. Spence and Colony neighbourhoods are pretty crappy. I agree with your specific assessment.

And I think that the pandemic has really shown the great divide between the socioeconomic classes in Winnipeg. As you move towards the outer rims of the city and suburbia, we've seen the great expansion of wealth and the middle class. New developments are popping up all over the place at the north and south ends of the city. Look at the development of Transcona. And I think, "wow, I can't believe how much the city is developing."

And then you head downtown- the inner core areas specifically mentioned here and you see how dilapidated they really have become and the substance use, homelessness and poverty is really poignant there. You see the graffiti, bus shelters destroyed, garbage and litter, homeless people sleeping on the streets or openly using substances and I've realized how significant the gaps are between classes here. No doubt Winnipeg and the province have significant work to do in the near future to fix this city.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by plrh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_E...ba,_Canada.png

I was working off of this map. Spence and Colony neighbourhoods are pretty crappy. I agree with your specific assessment.

Cool, thanks. People in Wolseley/West Broadway never seem to refer to themselves as West Enders so I tend to think of them as separate. But I suppose in a broader sense it works.

Colony is probably not too bad, it's basically downtown with some nice newer apartments in the area. Spence is the worst of the sub-communities but Daniel McIntyre and St. Matthews are not far behind. They're the kind of places where you could have a block of nice, tidy immigrant owned homes with a trap house in between bringing it all down. Same type of thing you see in the North End.

[ssiguy]

Small wonder Manitoba has such high levels of poverty. It's minimum wage this October is going from $11.95 to $12.25 aftyer just a 5 cent increase last year. as SK raises their's by $1.15/hr with increases to $15 in 2024.

Manitoba's min wages was $11.15 in 2015 so in a 7 years span their min wage will have gone up by a paltry 10% while inflation is running at 7% and much higher for basics which the poor disproportionately spend their money on.

[biguc]

^Funny enough, we just had a really good discussion on Manitoba's minimum wage in the subforum. The problem isn't even inflation, it's housing costs, which aren't included in inflation. Some forumers did some really nice work quantifying how insidious the problem is. Rents have basically doubled in Winnipeg in the last 15 years. Only 3% of rentals are now affordable (1/3 earnings) to full-time, minimum wage workers. The correct minimum wage given rents: about $15.

[Architype]

^ Housing costs rise with inflation as all costs of the landlord etc. will increase and be passed on. For condo owners costs are also passed on directly. I would think it should be included. In BC our minimum wage is $15.65, and even that is nowhere near enough for housing costs.

[JustForTheHalibut]

^^ I agree, I can't imagine how anyone could survive on minimum $15.65 in BC, especially lower mainland, maybe BC and federal income taxes would be barely anything at those wages, I guess.

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Small wonder Manitoba has such high levels of poverty. It's minimum wage this October is going from $11.95 to $12.25 aftyer just a 5 cent increase last year. as SK raises their's by $1.15/hr with increases to $15 in 2024.

Manitoba's min wages was $11.15 in 2015 so in a 7 years span their min wage will have gone up by a paltry 10% while inflation is running at 7% and much higher for basics which the poor disproportionately spend their money on.

With Saskatchewan going to $15 minimum wage in 18 months, I think Manitoba is going to have to do something or they're going to lose employees to Sasky. I don't know if there's much cross border employment like probably happens between places like Golden, BC - Lake Louise AB etc.





Abbotsford elderly couple victims of homicide on Monday sadly, not know if random or assailant know to couple.

https://globalnews.ca/news/8827978/a...icide-victims/

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by biguc

^Funny enough, we just had a really good discussion on Manitoba's minimum wage in the subforum. The problem isn't even inflation, it's housing costs, which aren't included in inflation. Some forumers did some really nice work quantifying how insidious the problem is. Rents have basically doubled in Winnipeg in the last 15 years. Only 3% of rentals are now affordable (1/3 earnings) to full-time, minimum wage workers. The correct minimum wage given rents: about $15.

There was a discussion on the radio this week regarding a recent study of the least affordable cities in Canada based on wages (not sure if it was median or otherwise) and Winnipeg, Halifax, Yellowknife and Fredericton were at the top of the list. I didn't hear the whole conversation as it relates to the methodology used by the author of the report, but it immediately came to mind with the current discussion in this thread.

[Luisito]

Winnipeg is now at 20.

[Coldrsx]

Two suspicious deaths in 'Downtown' Edmonton.

[Jeff]

21 for peg city..

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

There was a discussion on the radio this week regarding a recent study of the least affordable cities in Canada based on wages (not sure if it was median or otherwise) and Winnipeg, Halifax, Yellowknife and Fredericton were at the top of the list. I didn't hear the whole conversation as it relates to the methodology used by the author of the report, but it immediately came to mind with the current discussion in this thread.

I think that would be the Youthful Cities/RBC Future Launch report on affordability for young people (under 30). Unfortunately the methodology is basically garbage: for most of the cities, they used provincial median incomes rather than municipal incomes to calculate affordability metrics. Since the overall income levels in an entire province often have little relation to the incomes in a particular city, the conclusions—and the ranking of the least affordable cities—is basically meaningless.