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Downtown

^amazing store and staff.

I did a bit of a walking tour Friday morning and loved the new public art/murals, cannot wait for the LRT to open, but holy moly there was garbage everywhere (also a windy day), a lack of care/cleaning everywhere and so many broken way finding signs I stopped counting.

It felt a lot better in terms of more people out and about, but they were congregating in only a few areas with long stretches of emptiness.
 
New GoodLife office in Commerce Place

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Club

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www.goodlifefitness.com www.goodlifefitness.com


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Usually once a week, I head into the office. I have started taking the LRT and walking through part of the core instead of biking directly to my office. A few observations from my commute through downtown this morning and the past month or two (based only on feelings/perceptions and not numbers):

- The LRT has been a smooth experience the past few times I have taken it. I have seen quite a few security guards and officers, both in the morning and afternoon. The trains have been clean, and I haven't noticed any disorder thus far.

- Walking through the pedway system this morning, however, there were a lot of people sleeping on the sides seeking warmth and a quiet place to sleep now that it's getting colder outside. Very disheartening to see. I used to live downtown many years ago and have seen my fair share of this stuff, but I have never seen it this bad. I really feel for the people who are going through this stuff and frustrated at the current situation that we can't provide better support. I don't claim to be an expert on poverty or homelessness, so I really can't say what the causes and fixes are, but it straight up sucks that things are this bad.

- I also walk through ECC from time to time. WOW, it is day and night from what I remember pre-COVID. It's a complete ghost town with so many shuttered and empty storefronts. I had heard that COVID had dented the place, but I didn't expect it to be nearly as bad as it was (at least in comparison to my memory). I was never a big fan of the mall but always hoped for its success. The new owners really have their work cut out for them, but I still believe the mall can make a turn around.

- A lot of disturbed people out, particularly in the afternoons, more than I remember. Lot of cursing at the air, trying to talk/yell at me/others. Not too bad in the mornings though.

Overall, I feel that things are very dire for downtown. I've heard that our downtown has had one of the best "return to pre-pandemic" trends in Canada, but from my viewpoint, I'm not seeing it. The streets are still pretty empty, apart from vagrants, and even during lunchtimes, it's not particularly busy. Maybe I'm just in the wrong areas. I've also been around Jasper Ave between 106 Ave and 101 Ave, and that part seems alright though also kind of dead (except Coffee Bureau, which thankfully always seems to have a healthy lineup!)
 
Calfaer said:
Usually once a week, I head into the office. I have started taking the LRT and walking through part of the core instead of biking directly to my office. A few observations from my commute through downtown this morning and the past month or two (based only on feelings/perceptions and not numbers):

- The LRT has been a smooth experience the past few times I have taken it. I have seen quite a few security guards and officers, both in the morning and afternoon. The trains have been clean, and I haven't noticed any disorder thus far.

- Walking through the pedway system this morning, however, there were a lot of people sleeping on the sides seeking warmth and a quiet place to sleep now that it's getting colder outside. Very disheartening to see. I used to live downtown many years ago and have seen my fair share of this stuff, but I have never seen it this bad. I really feel for the people who are going through this stuff and frustrated at the current situation that we can't provide better support. I don't claim to be an expert on poverty or homelessness, so I really can't say what the causes and fixes are, but it straight up sucks that things are this bad.

- I also walk through ECC from time to time. WOW, it is day and night from what I remember pre-COVID. It's a complete ghost town with so many shuttered and empty storefronts. I had heard that COVID had dented the place, but I didn't expect it to be nearly as bad as it was (at least in comparison to my memory). I was never a big fan of the mall but always hoped for its success. The new owners really have their work cut out for them, but I still believe the mall can make a turn around.

- A lot of disturbed people out, particularly in the afternoons, more than I remember. Lot of cursing at the air, trying to talk/yell at me/others. Not too bad in the mornings though.

Overall, I feel that things are very dire for downtown. I've heard that our downtown has had one of the best "return to pre-pandemic" trends in Canada, but from my viewpoint, I'm not seeing it. The streets are still pretty empty, apart from vagrants, and even during lunchtimes, it's not particularly busy. Maybe I'm just in the wrong areas. I've also been around Jasper Ave between 106 Ave and 101 Ave, and that part seems alright though also kind of dead (except Coffee Bureau, which thankfully always seems to have a healthy lineup!)
Click to expand...
I have also returned to downtown more often recently and agree with you that it's... not good. It's pretty much a ghost town and the people that are walking around aren't there on business...
 
Calfaer said:
Usually once a week, I head into the office. I have started taking the LRT and walking through part of the core instead of biking directly to my office. A few observations from my commute through downtown this morning and the past month or two (based only on feelings/perceptions and not numbers):

- The LRT has been a smooth experience the past few times I have taken it. I have seen quite a few security guards and officers, both in the morning and afternoon. The trains have been clean, and I haven't noticed any disorder thus far.

- Walking through the pedway system this morning, however, there were a lot of people sleeping on the sides seeking warmth and a quiet place to sleep now that it's getting colder outside. Very disheartening to see. I used to live downtown many years ago and have seen my fair share of this stuff, but I have never seen it this bad. I really feel for the people who are going through this stuff and frustrated at the current situation that we can't provide better support. I don't claim to be an expert on poverty or homelessness, so I really can't say what the causes and fixes are, but it straight up sucks that things are this bad.

- I also walk through ECC from time to time. WOW, it is day and night from what I remember pre-COVID. It's a complete ghost town with so many shuttered and empty storefronts. I had heard that COVID had dented the place, but I didn't expect it to be nearly as bad as it was (at least in comparison to my memory). I was never a big fan of the mall but always hoped for its success. The new owners really have their work cut out for them, but I still believe the mall can make a turn around.

- A lot of disturbed people out, particularly in the afternoons, more than I remember. Lot of cursing at the air, trying to talk/yell at me/others. Not too bad in the mornings though.

Overall, I feel that things are very dire for downtown. I've heard that our downtown has had one of the best "return to pre-pandemic" trends in Canada, but from my viewpoint, I'm not seeing it. The streets are still pretty empty, apart from vagrants, and even during lunchtimes, it's not particularly busy. Maybe I'm just in the wrong areas. I've also been around Jasper Ave between 106 Ave and 101 Ave, and that part seems alright though also kind of dead (except Coffee Bureau, which thankfully always seems to have a healthy lineup!)
Click to expand...
Oh compared to a year ago or so, it is better, much busier during the day. I do believe the return to pre-pandemic stats, but then we were were starting from a very low base, so we still have a ways to go to get to good.

Yes, a lot of disturbed people out (although again it is not quite as bad or noticeable as a year ago) - this sure doesn't say much about the so called Alberta Advantage or the social safety net here.

There actually are a few new things starting to fill a few of the empty spaces, so I am hopeful things will improve more, even for City Centre mall which is still pretty sad now.

I recently travelled to a larger Canadian city and was struck to see a noticeable number of empty spaces on one of their main downtown streets, so it is not just an Edmonton thing, although it may be more noticeable here.
 
Glass Bookshop is moving to the Ritchie neighborhood. They will be located next door to Kind Ice Cream.
 
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