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

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Violent incidents were up 10% between 2019 and 2021, and up about 22% between 2021 and 2022 - apparently enough to be noticed by the BBC! https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64408450. Too early for any 2023 stats yet of course, but sounds like there's been a whole other spate of attacks in just the past couple days since I last posted: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...fety-1.6729654

On a personal level, I've been riding the TTC my whole life, and have used it at all hours of the day across the city. Nothing terrible has ever happened to me; but still, the first 30 years were relatively incident-free; while just in the past 2 years (where I was already using transit less than ever) I've been hassled, threatened, and seen fights break out multiple times. Seems like it's 50-50 odds when I get on a subway now as to whether there'll be a "screamer" bothering everyone. I'm not scared to take it (yet...), but it does make for an all-around unpleasant experience (on top of the already existing unpleasantness of the TTC's endless delays) that I'd rather just avoid by biking, driving, or ubering where possible.

The takeaways from accounts like yours (and we're hearing this from multiple people) are:

- this basically never used to happen before, now it happens from time to time

- this used to happen once in a blue moon, but now it's a regular occurrence

[Coldrsx]

New Downtown/Central public safety pilot project moving forward in Edmonton.

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/public-s...sday-1.6255169

[Doady]

Overdose deaths in BC have risen 300 percent ever since Trudeau became Prime Minister. Vancouver has become hell on earth because of him.

[Coldrsx]

Province (AB) to deploy Sheriffs Downtown/Central Edmonton.

https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?x...25E06216B6ACAD

[theman23]

I’m going to channel my inner manny santos here and point out that I’ve noticed a distinct absence of visibly homeless and anti social behaviours in public while in Sydney these last few weeks. Not sure what they’re doing differently here.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Doady

Overdose deaths in BC have risen 300 percent ever since Trudeau became Prime Minister. Vancouver has become hell on earth because of him.

But the provincial NDP government plays no role in an issue like that right?

[casper]

Originally Posted by Doady

Overdose deaths in BC have risen 300 percent ever since Trudeau became Prime Minister. Vancouver has become hell on earth because of him.

Overdose deaths in the US have risen 300 percent ever since Trudeau become Prime Minister. Las Angels and Seattle have become hell on earth because of him.

https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/epidemic.html

Both statements are interesting correlations. Is the causal relationship implied in both statements true? Less clear.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by casper

Overdose deaths in the US have risen 300 percent ever since Trudeau become Prime Minister. Las Angels and Seattle have become hell on earth because of him.

https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/epidemic.html

Both statements are interesting correlations. Is the causal relationship implied in both statements true? Less clear.

Imagine how the Conservatives would have treated this issue. Would they do anything different?

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by Doady

Overdose deaths in BC have risen 300 percent ever since Trudeau became Prime Minister. Vancouver has become hell on earth because of him.

But you live in Mississauga, how do you know what it's like living in Vancouver?

[Architype]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

But you live in Mississauga, how do you know what it's like living in Vancouver?

Even if you live in Vancouver, as I do, it has nothing more to do with me than with someone living in Ontario. It's largely compartmentalized here, and I never go to that area; so for me everything appears fine. Responsibility doesn't depend on where you live. I'm sure Ontario has its own issues; a CBC veteran journalist was just randomly attacked and killed yesterday on Danforth. It must be somebody else's fault.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Architype

Imagine how the Conservatives would have treated this issue. Would they do anything different?

They probably would have adopted a more hardline view. The PP crowd thinks criminals consult the criminal code and carefully consider the penalty before committing a crime. Changing a penalty from 2 years to 5 years will have no impact.

The hard question to ask is where do these people come from? How has the safety net broken down? How do we rebuild it?

So 31% of people living in the DTES are indigenous. Some trace this back to residential schools and the inter-generational impact that has had. Others to the lack of housing in indigenous communities. It is a complex problem.

Some are people who ran away from a problem family home at a young age and ended up in this situation.

Some are people that are unable to live in a modern society or are likely to be taken advantage.

Some are veterans who struggled with the trauma of being deployed in some nasty places in the world.

I think they need to address each of these issues and then see what cases are still left. None of these involve jail.

Originally Posted by Architype

Even if you live in Vancouver, as I do, it has nothing more to do with me than with someone living in Ontario. It's largely compartmentalized here, and I never go to that area; so for me everything appears fine. Responsibility doesn't depend on where you live. I'm sure Ontario has its own issues; a CBC veteran journalist was just randomly attacked and killed yesterday on Danforth. It must be somebody else's fault.

The Vancouver downtown east side has been a basket case for 30 years.

There have been many people that have worked on trying to fix it. Certain many of them have had a positive influence on specific individuals but no one has found the magic solution.

[Architype]

I think the ultimate cure is to prevent people from becoming this way while they are still youths. I imagine the average age in the DTES is quite young. IMO our political parties are similar in spite of their partisan rhetoric, separated in reality only by nuance. I think I am neutral here, not lacking compassion, but dismayed by the toxic drug infused cultural residue and its effect on people. If the causes are all so varied, no one prescription will work; the ultimate solution is to try everything, and see what sticks. Perhaps it's all just a legitimate product of our hierarchical capitalist / socialist society and we must live with it.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by Architype

I think the ultimate cure is to prevent people from becoming this way while they are still youths. I imagine the average age in the DTES is quite young. IMO our political parties are similar in spite of their partisan rhetoric, separated in reality only by nuance. I think I am neutral here, not lacking compassion, but dismayed by the toxic drug infused cultural residue and its effect on people. If the causes are all so varied, no one prescription will work; the ultimate solution is to try everything, and see what sticks. Perhaps it's all just a legitimate product of our hierarchical capitalist / socialist society and we must live with it.

The best time to start this was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

It's also wrapped up in and closely related to other top-priority items: Cost/availability of housing and Quality/quantity of healthcare. Those two are the lynchpin of a lot.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by casper

They probably would have adopted a more hardline view. The PP crowd thinks criminals consult the criminal code and carefully consider the penalty before committing a crime. Changing a penalty from 2 years to 5 years will have no impact.
.

They may not be legal scholars but I think you are seriously mistaken if you believe that word doesn't get out on the streets that cops and judges are being softer on certain types of crimes.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

But you live in Mississauga, how do you know what it's like living in Vancouver?

Doady is a master at parody.

[MolsonExport]

The Vancouver downtown east side has been a basket case for 30 years.

I moved to Vancouver in 1994. The DTES was a basket case back then, and it looked as though it had been a basket case for at least 20 years prior.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I moved to Vancouver in 1994. The DTES was a basket case back then, and it looked as though it had been a basket case for at least 20 years prior.

It was, Back in the 80s it was more manageable. My Brother had a squat in the area. A soup kitchen next door. There was more social decorum. I never had issues walking the area at night. Now I wouldn't venture into the area at night. Daytime are another issue. But it has been a few years now since I have been in the area. Since I have not been back to the Ovaline

[giallo]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I moved to Vancouver in 1994. The DTES was a basket case back then, and it looked as though it had been a basket case for at least 20 years prior.

Yeah, it's been bad since the 70s, but even back in the 50s, my mom was told to avoid the area by my grandparents. It's heyday ended in the 40s, and it's been a slow death since then.

Here's a documentary about a well known local cop on the DTES beat in the 70s.

• Video Link

[Wigs]

giallo, I'd argue that's one thing missing from today's Policing. The "beat cops" that knew so many unfortunate, destitute people in their district, many on a first name basis, because they walked it every day they worked. Pro active policing. Having a constant presence.

Whistling Smith knew the prostitutes, junkies, homeless, etc.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Acajack

They may not be legal scholars but I think you are seriously mistaken if you believe that word doesn't get out on the streets that cops and judges are being softer on certain types of crimes.

Wow, you run in some pretty questionable circles if you're hearing this kind of thing.