Downtown Crime

[occidentalcapital]

Glad to know everyone is safe

Hopefully the attacker is brought to justice.

If there is any political motivation behind this, that would be extremely serious.

 

[IanO]

I wouldn't be too concerned about this, there are other optometrists downtown and maybe even someone new will also pick up the slack.

People do move businesses for various reasons and this may be to be closer to where they or family members live or plan to live.

Fairly certain most of the customers will not be making the trek to Sherwood Park (unless they live there and work downtown).

Missing the point and forest for the trees.

It's not about the loss of one optometrist.

 

[Greenspace]

Statement on the security incident at City Hall​

January 23, 2024 Proceedings of the Emergency Advisory Committee meeting were suspended in light of a significant security incident at City Hall. In response to the incident, City Manager Andre Corbould issued the following statement. “City Hall is a welcoming and open space for Edmontonians, and today’s incident was an unfortunate and unusual change in that tradition. Like all public buildings, there are safety protocols and procedures in place. ‘Thanks to those protocols, the diligent staff who implemented them, and the professional actions of our Peace Officers, the Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, no one was physically harmed. I thank them all for their support. ‘The City will support the police investigation as it unfolds, and has offered support to any staff who are facing challenges in processing today’s events. “We will reopen City Hall and return to conducting government business as soon as it is safe to do so.“​

 

[IanO]

Relieved that it sounds like nobody was injured or worse.

 

[David A]

Missing the point and forest for the trees.

It's not about the loss of one optometrist.

No, I feel this about perspective. If it was a large company with hundreds of employees, I would be much more concerned about the impact. First, the impact of this is negligible.

I realize the stated concerns of the business and do take them seriously, but secondly small businesses often move for a number of reasons including personal and lifestyle ones.

So, this is probably not the only reason and may not even be the main one, or at least that is the impression I get from the information conveyed.

 

[IanO]

APEGA and its 40,000sqft left Rice Howard Way Place 'due to safety issues'.

You do not replace a tenant, its out of town hotel nights and impact on food/bev very quickly.

 

[MacLac]

This whole article is making my brain explode. The lawyer for the homeless coalition is blaming the “houselessness” - btw is this a word now? Are we using this in lieu of “homelessness?” This guy is blaming the tick up in amputations to the homelessness being displaced by the camp removals? How is the the displacement of these “campers” adding to the increase? Or is it rather the fact that we have a shit ton more of these homeless camps then ever before. Does this “so-called” lawyer not think that if taxpayers/voters pay to get those peeps into shelters that it would negate amputations on the future?

 

[David A]

APEGA and its 40,000sqft left Rice Howard Way Place 'due to safety issues'.

You do not replace a tenant, its out of town hotel nights and impact on food/bev very quickly.

Yes, good example. This may have been discussed some already, but it is probably worthy of further discussion.

 

[IanO]

Regardless though and while things open and close, ebb and flow, it's should be the same level of concern or accept the death by a thousand cuts.

Great work is being done by the DRC, DECL, EDBA et al. and should be recognized more often, but this is the #1 reason people have left or are thinking of leaving.

 

[Greenspace]

I'd say it's two thing - safety first, and second is people's preference to work from home.

 

[IanO]

Yes, but many folks who used to work from home Downtown left because of the experience.

 

[Greenspace]

I don't disagree, safety plays into people's preferences and companies respond accordingly. It's not just safety why office spaces are getting smaller and because people don't live dt and want to also work from home part of the time they may elect to locate somewhere else.

 

[IanO]

There are compounding factors and new realities, but I could see more folks wanting to live centrally as we shift towards less office and more lifestyle centres... if that is adequately provided.

 

[David A]

My observation is crime was worst a year or two ago and the other social order problems in many areas of downtown have also diminished considerably since then too.

However, perceptions take time to change and I feel some of the moves being made now were based on decisions made or the environment a year ago or more.

Although, having said that, it is also not all one way. There are also businesses that have recently moved downtown or are planning to do so as well as those that have left.

 

[Gus Haynes]

I don't disagree, safety plays into people's preferences and companies respond accordingly. It's not just safety why office spaces are getting smaller and because people don't live dt and want to also work from home part of the time they may elect to locate somewhere else.

Sample sizes and all that, but of my coworkers who work hybrid arrangements (i.e. downtown and at their respective homes), none of them cite "safety" as their reason for wanting to work at home. They all cite getting a break from annoying coworkers and wasting time commuting to and from work. I'm in that camp: I like downtown, I come downtown for entertainment/movies/restaurants/etc, but I wouldn't come into the office at all if I had any choice.