Downtown Crime

[HappyJazzz]

Maybe this statement in your earlier post is confusing or open to misinterpretation-

"Canada is now at a point where similar solutions may be the only viable corrective option."

What similar solutions do you mean?

Well given ongoing frustrations with the status quo, I'm still fond of the idea of donating penal battalions to Ukraine..

What's happening now with the poverty and judicial industries clearly isn't working, but I'm open to other ideas too

 

[Oilguy]

Welcome! Do you have an idea of around how many staff are affected by this? I'm just trying to get a sense of how in/significant it is.

Hard to say. People had to choose if they wanted to keep a schedule where they have every other Friday off then they need to be in every Wednesday and the Friday they work. Not sure how many people would choose that, I think they can also change through the year, so I don’t think it’s gonna be noticeable on those days but there will be a few more in for sure I would think.

 

[CplKlinger]

Hard to say. People had to choose if they wanted to keep a schedule where they have every other Friday off then they need to be in every Wednesday and the Friday they work. Not sure how many people would choose that, I think they can also change through the year, so I don’t think it’s gonna be noticeable on those days but there will be a few more in for sure I would think.

Sorry, just to clarify I'm moreso wondering how many folks work in that office in general. Is it in the area of a few dozen, or a few hundred?

 

[Oilguy]

Sorry, just to clarify I'm moreso wondering how many folks work in that office in general. Is it in the area of a few dozen, or a few hundred?

Oh sorry, pretty sure they are over a thousand downtown. They’ve got 15 floors in that building.

 

[David A]

I took a walk thru Commerce Place, Manulife, ECC, Sandman Signature Hotel, Bell, COE, JW, Stantec and Rogers Place in the early afternoon. Homeless folks were occupying pedways, and was garbage strewn all over. Security had to escort out some guy who was smoking inside the Commerce Place washroom. I hope workers are back next week so that things are back to normal - there seemed to be fewer workers than what's normally seen due to the New Year holiday.

Yes, it was definitely more noticeable in some places such as pedways and LRT stations. I agree this was probably partly due to fewer people working than normal and the colder weather.

Although I went to the Commerce Place washroom on Friday afternoon and it was fine and when I went through City Centre mall on Thursday it seemed surprisingly busy also with few noticeable problems.

 

[Greenspace]

Does anyone know what became of the Public Spaces Bylaw review that was happening last year? It included making it illegal to loiter in transit spaces. The latest news I can find is from February 2024, saying that council decided to send the review back for more research.

Council dithered on it and didn't pass and it hasn't come back with amendments which is why Corbold left imo.

 

[CplKlinger]

Does anyone know what became of the Public Spaces Bylaw review that was happening last year? It included making it illegal to loiter in transit spaces. The latest news I can find is from February 2024, saying that council decided to send the review back for more research.

According to this list of items due, it is scheduled to return to Council in Q1 of this year, but was originally scheduled for Q3 2024. This is what Council requested of Administration:

1. That Bylaw 20700 - Public Spaces Bylaw be referred back to Administration to complete further research and analysis and to incorporate the following into the bylaw report, including any potential further recommended amendments for consideration when this report comes back:
a. comprehensive GBA+ analysis including data and research including, but not limited to, anti-racism, criminalization of poverty, LGBTQ2S+ specific considerations with public spaces and how these findings were or were not integrated into the proposed bylaw and why;
b. a climate review with options to support better environmental stewardship in public spaces, including but not limited to, the River Valley; comprehensive rationale for any fine changes in the proposed bylaw;
c. a jurisdictional scan of municipal fine amounts for the same infraction where the fine is not the same as current policy or is a new offence; and
d. a detailed review of the 50 person gathering permit requirement and amplification systems to ensuring the rights to protest and gather are not infringed through this bylaw.

2. That Administration prepare the following amendments to Bylaw 20700 - Public Spaces Bylaw and return to a future Committee meeting:
a. clarify that “herbicides” are included in section section 44;
b. refine the definition of “temporary shelters” in section 46 to include for the purpose of sheltering;
c. delete section 54;
d. clarify that sidewalk chalk is not included in section 62;
e. change all minimum fine amounts to specified fines;
f. remove reference to “inappropriate use of transit spaces” throughout the bylaw;
g. remove the exception for feeding birds and feral cats in public spaces in section 16; and
h. clarify that the definition of weapon includes, but is not limited to, the listed items in section 28;
i. revise the relevant sections of Part XIV to allow bicycles, e-bicycles, e-scooters, inline skates, roller skates, and skateboards in park spaces provided the use does not cause damage; and
j. revise the relevant sections of Part XIV to allow bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, inline skates, roller skates, and skateboards in areas where protected active transportation infrastructure does not exist.