How widespread are the homeless/mental health/addiction issues in your city/province?

[Coldrsx]

https://twitter.com/KalenAnderson/st...37799658631168

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by lio45

In my hometown, I can name you at least 15 people (I’m being conservative; I probably could name 25+) that I know personally who used to have SRO rooms or cheap studio apts and could afford that pre-Covid but who live on the streets nowadays.

The vacancy rate is close to zero, rents have gone up sharply, no one wants to operate low-margins affordable housing anymore.

I was in Sherbrooke in August and saw some homeless people. It wasn't something I remember seeing the last time I was there. I also saw some non-Indigenous white homeless people in Val-d'Or which was also shocking. But not nearly as bad as things have been in Timmins lately. One place where I have yet to see any homeless people is Rouyn-Noranda. I'm not saying that they don't exist in Rouyn but I have yet to see any visible homeless population there.

One big mistake in Canada is that too many people associate homelessness with larger urban centres.

[giallo]

Dr Gabor Maté on the housing crisis and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

Vancouver's Downtown Eastside is a "problem of Canada": Gabor Maté

• Video Link

[urbandreamer]

Unfortunately, the optics of that photo op in Edmonton are terrible: mostly upper class white business people launching an attack on mostly FN & POC homeless/addicts. What really needs to be addressed is the shocking racism and classism in Western Canada. I'm seeing it in Ontario as well.

My solution: Stop mass immigration and TFW which is driving up the cost of rental housing and lowering wages. Give the jobs to FN and local homeless first. Death penalty to those trafficking street drugs. Bring back prohibition.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Unfortunately, the optics of that photo op in Edmonton are terrible: mostly upper class white business people launching an attack on mostly FN & POC homeless/addicts. What really needs to be addressed is the shocking racism and classism in Western Canada. I'm seeing it in Ontario as well.

My solution: Stop mass immigration and TFW which is driving up the cost of rental housing and lowering wages. Give the jobs to FN and local homeless first. Death penalty to those trafficking street drugs. Bring back prohibition.

Seriously? Do you even know what condition many of the homeless people are in? I don't know of any employers who would want to hire people like that and mainly for safety reasons.

What is your problem with mass immigration and TFWs when we have huge employment shortages? Immigrants are the only people filling many jobs even where I live.

[urbandreamer]

Why are people so scared of homeless addicts? I used to live in a SRO in the Downtown Eastside; the addicts aren't scary what is scary is the easy access to alcohol and drugs. Prohibit both, reintroduce the death penalty and generally make it uncool to partake in this degenerate culture. The absolute worst addicts who can't work should get UBI.

What's so difficult about food delivery, driving an uber or working on a farm? (Although to be fair, I would ban these apps as all they're doing is destroying main street Canada.)

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Why are people so scared of homeless addicts? I used to live in a SRO in the Downtown Eastside; the addicts aren't scary what is scary is the easy access to alcohol and drugs. Prohibit both, reintroduce the death penalty and generally make it uncool to partake in this degenerate culture. The absolute worst addicts who can't work should get UBI.

What's so difficult about food delivery, driving an uber or working on a farm? (Although to be fair, I would ban these apps as all they're doing is destroying main street Canada.)

A drug addict who is DRIVING as a job?!?

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Death penalty to those trafficking street drugs. Bring back prohibition.

This has worked so well in Philippines. Do your research on Duterte

[urbandreamer]

Ha! However, what we're doing now is useless.

Edmonton and Winnipeg may be lost causes; however alcohol prohibition across Canada could lead to less poverty, addiction and mental illness.

[thebasketballgeek]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Ha! However, what we're doing now is useless.

Edmonton and Winnipeg may be lost causes; however alcohol prohibition across Canada could lead to less poverty, addiction and mental illness.

??? We are not a third world country there is no such thing as a city in Canada that could be a lost cause.

Interestingly the 2 cities you referred too have the highest Indigenous populations in Canada. I wonder if you actually saw the Truth & Reconciliation marches throughout Canada. Winnipeg had BY FAR the biggest turnout, scale, and general vibrancy.

In fact, I’ll open this can of worms for you. If Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is a “problem for Canada” then Winnipeg’s North End should be #1 on the priority list for revitalization. Just because Canada doesn’t give a shit about the prairies doesn’t mean you discard a decent portion of the countries population and economy.

Alcohol prohibition has never worked and it will never work. If you want people too buy alcohol on the black market where consumers are in risk of far greater danger then ask yourself if you truly want what’s best for Canada and especially Indigenous people because your comment quite frankly is wrong place and wrong time.

The root cause of the issue is the trauma imposed by British imperialism and the Catholic Church on the general Indigenous populace because of racism from the Eastern part of Canada. As a visible minority living in Winnipeg I don’t seem too have much issue with racist remarks because guess what Winnipeg and Edmonton are literally 2 of the most diverse cities in the entire planet. However, the white man always thinks with his Eurocentric lens and thinks the established white (usually racist) population of both cities is a representation of the whole municipality.

[urbandreamer]

I think the root cause is the trauma imposed by poverty, loneliness, isolation and the consumption of drugs and alcohol.

I drove around the North End extensively, as my grandmother's family lived in Luxton; I stayed on the other side of the river in the Bronx 'hood. Although I criticize it, I actually really like Winnipeg. It was easy to forget about the city when I left it: from Bird's Hill PP and towns like Dugald, the skyline practically disappears and feels like you're in the middle of nowhere.

What FN need to do is start businesses, employ their own kind so to speak and generally follow the typical route to success immigrants have done for centuries.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

What FN need to do is start businesses, employ their own kind so to speak and generally follow the typical route to success immigrants have done for centuries.

Many if not most FNs are doing those things. And I've seen examples in your province as well. And many Indigenous people have moved to cities for work just like many immigrants have done.

The big difference is education. Most of the immigrants coming here are well educated or have had experience in business. Many Indigenous people did not get through the education system that they were exposed to but things have gotten better for the younger ones.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Seriously? Do you even know what condition many of the homeless people are in? I don't know of any employers who would want to hire people like that and mainly for safety reasons.

What is your problem with mass immigration and TFWs when we have huge employment shortages? Immigrants are the only people filling many jobs even where I live.

Then maybe we should caught off welfare and let the bums realize it is work or starve. People think all these people would be in mental institutions in the old days but in reality many would have been itinerant workers, farmhands etc who couldn't find other work. Now we thinks it more human to fly in people from across the globe to labour in our fields.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Then maybe we should caught off welfare and let the bums realize it is work or starve. People think all these people would be in mental institutions in the old days but in reality many would have been itinerant workers, farmhands etc who couldn't find other work. Now we thinks it more human to fly in people from across the globe to labour in our fields.

No. The work or starve thing doesn't work. Crime would skyrocket and end up costing us more.

There really isn't work for people who are addicted to substances. How many farms would actually want addicts working for them? There are very few farms in my area but from what I've seen, most of the work involves operating equipment. Not something employers want addicts operating. And there's the factor of mental instability which itself is not pleasant to deal with.

[Wigs]

House the homeless (everyone that wants shelter, a few are resigned to the life they've been living for decades) and then deal with their substance and mental health issues.
Every Canadian deserves a roof over their head.
Finland and other nations are doing this right now. Housing First

Look at how callous Americans are. "I got mine, if you didn't get yours go ---- yourselves. Not with MY taxpayer dollars"

Finland's reduction in homeless with their Housing First strategy is a success

https://oecdecoscope.blog/2021/12/13...success-story/

[Loco101]

That is really interesting to see concerning Finland. The Nordic countries often give us good ideas of how to and how not to handle many issues. We have a sizable Finnish-Canadian population in Northern Ontario so I'm surprised that nobody here has mentioned the Finnish model. I realize that things here aren't exactly like in Finland but it's definitely something worth exploring and trying.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Loco101

That is really interesting to see concerning Finland. The Nordic countries often give us good ideas of how to and how not to handle many issues. We have a sizable Finnish-Canadian population in Northern Ontario so I'm surprised that nobody here has mentioned the Finnish model. I realize that things here aren't exactly like in Finland but it's definitely something worth exploring and trying.

it took exactly 3 seconds of googling

Our elected officials aren't even TRYING.

[niwell]

Just a little too close to “socialism” for us to try. Ignoring that’s the whole basis of our welfare state. But whatever I guess.

[thebasketballgeek]

Originally Posted by niwell

Just a little too close to “socialism” for us to try. Ignoring that’s the whole basis of our welfare state. But whatever I guess.

Talking to some of my right-wing friends they think Canada is already a communist country so might as well go full throttle to socialism

[Coldrsx]

@jkenney
LIVE: The Government of Alberta is announcing $187 million in new funding to address addiction and homelessness in Edmonton and Calgary
---

@AmarjeetSohiYEG

for making today’s announcement happen. The $70M announced today will support many important initiatives and also help close the funding gap between Edmonton and Calgary to support our unhoused neighbours.

https://twitter.com/jkenney/status/1576263015380709376