The_Cat
Senior Member
There are probably dozens of causes of homelessness. How many were once productive members of society with families and jobs? How many encountered tragedy or misfortune? We need to help these people deal with their problems.
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Downtown Crime
- Thread starter Stevey_G
- Start date
MacLac
Senior Member
We ALL have "Fentanyl" overdose fatigue right now. We are all exhausted hearing about how many deaths every month, ambulance stats, Naloxone kits, EPS service calls, bodies everywhere, bodies pissing and shitting in stairwells, garbage everywhere. They need to all seek life elsewhere right now or don't seek life, keep being junkies until you quit waking up......
kylep84
New Member
Meh, growing up on a farm by a small town and 6 people I grew up with went down the drug route. Started with meth (for fun) then selling it then when fent became the thing they all migrated to that. Two are in jail currently and all others are dead, one of the deceased got clean and got his life together only to later die in a car crash with a drunk driver. All these people came from the most privileged well off families, I think we forget that since the beginning of time humans always have looked for ways to alter their minds. Its not always trauma, sometimes just really stupid decisions.
I've had compassion fatigue for a while now but if they are friendly to me I'm always friendly back, that doesn't happen often these days.
I've had compassion fatigue for a while now but if they are friendly to me I'm always friendly back, that doesn't happen often these days.
Whatup
Active Member
The victimization poverty industry that expects all citizens to have endless patience for addicts is a big part of the problem. The righteous indignation for anyone who questions the effectiveness of "safe supply", injection centers and lack of involuntary rehab is annoying and counter productive. People make choices that impact their lives, and often the lives of people around them. These choices can have devastating impacts. I also have a few friends from my youth who became drug addicts, and several who became alcoholics and some of these people have had awful lives. These people came from good homes and did not have terrible childhoods, they just partied too hard in their youth and the party lifestyle got a hold of them and became the focus of their lives. There needs to be more personal responsibility in Canada and this includes people taking better care of themselves. There is already massive amounts of tax money being spent on rehab, police, support for addicts etc. Enough is enough - the federal government needs to stop "catch and release" policies, and things like "safe supply" and "injection centers" need to stop. Tough laws with severe penalties need to be created for Class A drug dealing and possession and mandatory involuntary rehab. Class A drugs are very very destructive to society and this has been known for a long time. Tougher laws should enable police to do their jobs more effectively and make our cities safe for law abiding citizens. Enough is enough.
buildings
Active Member
Victoria is getting tough.. will be interesting to see if their approach works. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...insider-victoria-takes-aim-at-downtown-crime/
David A
Senior Member
The big tragedy or misfortune now seems to be drugs. Not everyone who has a serious drug problem got into it because they had a terrible life, but if they didn't have a terrible life before they sure did after.
constance_chlore
Active Member
Anecdotally, from my travels around Germany this year (Leipzig, Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig again, soon Berlin again...) there has been a considerable rise in disorder compared even to last year. I've seen worse on the Berlin U-Bahn than I've ever seen in Edmonton—granted that my experiences on Edmonton LRT always seem to be milder than those of others here. In Leipzig, I see many homeless people camping out on the square in front of the Gewandhaus, which I'd never seen before.
I mention this because while I agree that Edmonton absolutely can and should do things about downtown disorder, I really think we need to move past thinking that Edmonton is uniquely bad in this respect and think more about what we have in common with these other cities.
Surprisingly, Chicago (another city I visit often) doesn't seem to have been too affected! No idea why.
I mention this because while I agree that Edmonton absolutely can and should do things about downtown disorder, I really think we need to move past thinking that Edmonton is uniquely bad in this respect and think more about what we have in common with these other cities.
Surprisingly, Chicago (another city I visit often) doesn't seem to have been too affected! No idea why.
Kosy123
Senior Member
I'm still of the opinion we got hit hard and fast by social disorder in the core and transit, compared to other major cities due to our unique circumstances. Every other city is now grappling with what we went through. Montreal's STM is now having similar numbers to ETS for "unsafe perceptions", and now Victoria has deteriorated too.
Offworld
Active Member
1) If that's true about the state of Germany, that hits hard. It's one of my favourite travel destinations (both former east and west), but haven't been in over ten years.
2) Chicago? Trust me, it's a free-for-all. Friends think I'm insane to ride the subway in that town. I just refuse to let the sh!tshow scare me away.
constance_chlore
Active Member
Yes, I think these cities are on different trajectories. I wasn't there, but I get the sense that Edmonton was hit hard during and directly after COVID (as were Minneapolis, Chicago, and others that I visited before and during that time) and has been on a slow and uneven recovery since. Cities like Montreal were not hit hard by COVID, but by the time I moved away in 2024 I was noticing a shift where not just Ste-Catherine but even my very residential neighborhood were starting to see more disorder.
Been to Chicago countless times over the years and I've never once felt seriously unsafe, even walking through parts of the south side late at night. It is spotty—I probably wouldn't do the same in Garfield Park—but nowhere near what Fox News would have people think.
I think some people are weirded out by the fact that Chicagoans will just start randomly chatting with anyone, anywhere. I find it endearing.
ADob
Active Member
Granted, this was a while ago, but I absolutely loved living in Chicago. And nope, never felt unsafe, including some pretty sketchy looking parts of the south side. Similar with NYC. In both cases, a big part of it was the constant presence of people, regardless of time of day or night. Much easier to feel unsafe when you're all alone, with potential threats skulking about (and that did happen to me right here in Edmonton, luckily the city hall was open and had a prominently stationed security guard). These days we're never out past 6, but that's largely due to having acquired a toddler-level bedtime 
Whatup
Active Member
So a law abiding citizen named Rukinisha Nkundabatware was standing at the Belvedere LRT station in 2023 and a repeat violent offender named Jamal Wheeler, who was out on bail, randomly stabs Nkundabatware and kills him. Wheeler is given a seven year sentence - the crown asked for nine year for this murder because Wheeler has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and "factors related to his Métis heritage" but the Judge gave him seven years. He should have gotten 25 years or locked up for life because he is a dangerous repeat offender. He was charged with manslaughter by the Crown, not murder. This is another of a long list of shocking "progressive" rulings that put the rights of the perpetrator above the rights of the victim and citizens. How enough Canadians voted in the Liberals again is beyond insanity - all because they don't like Trump. Wheeler is a very dangerous repeat violent offender who will be back on Edmonton's streets very soon. I wonder if he was a "white" person what his sentence would have been. I wonder what most citizens who use the LRT or who have loved ones who use the LRT think about this ruling. I know I tell my kids to never use the LRT if possible. When are Canadians going to wake up and take back their country? Its insanity. What has happened to Canada?
kylep84
New Member
Jamal Wheeler also frequented 102 ave around 100 st, Had a run in with him middle of the day not once but twice, guy seems to like starting trouble for no reason. Lucky enough I just ducked into the mall.
Whatup
Active Member
Just read that Kelly Ellard had her day parole revoked for the drowning of Victoria teenager Reena Virk 28 years ago because a Parole Board of Canada decision says Ellard breached her conditions to abstain from drugs,
So after rightfully serving 25 years in prison this "white woman" , who was 15 years old when she committed this crime, gets her day parole revoked, but the 29 year old Metis repeat violent offender who randomly murders innocent citizens while they wait for public transit gets seven years!! Someone please explain how this makes sense.
So after rightfully serving 25 years in prison this "white woman" , who was 15 years old when she committed this crime, gets her day parole revoked, but the 29 year old Metis repeat violent offender who randomly murders innocent citizens while they wait for public transit gets seven years!! Someone please explain how this makes sense.
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bodsbods9090
Senior Member
Gladue Report is one reason why.