Downtown Crime

[IanO]

@jkenney
LIVE: The Government of Alberta is announcing $187 million in new funding to address addiction and homelessness in Edmonton and Calgary
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@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/x/status/1576263015380709376

 

[MacLac]

Wow! That much of a gap between the two cities?! Nuts! Goes to show how bad the UCP’s want to hide the homeless from sight within their flagship downtown…..”gotta keep YYC’s dwindling DT from getting any worse!” While in YEG….”let them roam wherever they want….”

 

[IanO]

Where was Council? Strategic or MIA.

Bone of Contention: Council’s Lack of Representation at Downtown Recovery Event | Urban Affairs

While councillors were not officially invited to the Downtown Recovery Coalition’s launch event two blocks from City Hall, they were aware of it

urbanaffairs.ca

 

[Greenspace]

I didn't really expect them to be there, so not sure that's the point of this story.

The real issue is that the Mayor has told Downtown stakeholders numerous times that they think they're doing enough for Downtown, and many in Council don't want to fund more Downtown stuff. The reality is Downtown doesn't get a lot more funding than any other neighbourhood operationally save a bit for cleanliness recently and the $5m Vibrancy Strategy fund for Covid recovery (Calgary is spending $100-200m), and I'm hearing the many in Council with a tight fall budget don't want to approve any more dollars for Downtown. That scares me a little bit and shows how suburban our priorities really are.

 

[Gronk!]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1583511836980576256

 

[kcantor]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1583511836980576256

^
i would wager that most people who say how much better things are aren’t living with the same things week after week…

 

[occidentalcapital]

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i would wager that most people who say how much better things are aren’t living with the same things week after week…

Sorry to see this breakdown of societal norms and support affecting your property. Simply unacceptable.

 

[kcantor]

Sorry to see this breakdown of societal norms and support affecting your property. Simply unacceptable.

it’s not about our property per se, collectively it’s about our downtown and our neighborhoods.

we are at the same time failing ourselves and our most vulnerable and it’s heartbreaking at both levels.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

Related to this in general, anyone hear about the status of the new center that is supposed to be moving into/opening across from the Brick?

 

[kcantor]

i believe they’re still working their way through the permit process with planning and sdab etc.

 

[JNO1]

My opinion, the state of the homeless/mental health/societal disorder situation right now may be one of the great failures of our time. Governments have completely botched this and until they figure out that they have to fix the holes in the boat, simply adding more "bailers", giving them larger buckets and instructing them to bail faster is not going to keep it afloat.

 

[TAS]

i believe they’re still working their way through the permit process with planning and sdab etc.

Yes, I heard there is ongoing community opposition to this and that is stalling it.

Previously I also heard that one of the designs/proposals had too many trees planned for the property and the city wanted less and so a revision was necessary on that front.

 

[MacLac]

Yes, I heard there is ongoing community opposition to this and that is stalling it.

Previously I also heard that one of the designs/proposals had too many trees planned for the property and the city wanted less and so a revision was necessary on that front.

I drove by last week,....fence and signs are up but NO work has been started...from what I could tell....

 

[Edmcowboy11]

That is so unfortunate. My assumption is it would be expanded facilities and everything would be nice and new. I don't understand why more trees would be a problem. I wonder if there is issue with the location which is only 2 blocks from the current location?

 

[kcantor]

^^^
i agree completely. i also happen to think that all three levels of government have and will continue to fail because the focus continues to be investing in ever larger buckets - to use your analogy - and not in the individuals themselves.

we will never solve this until we stop focusing on the supply side and start to enable solutions from the demand side.