BC Lags Behind Other Provinces in Life Satisfaction

[Brupal]

I’ve visited Victoria several times in the past few years and the decline in the downtown area is shocking. This article describes the situation quite well. Frankly it’s hard to expect any businesses to remain much longer.
https://apple.news/Ai6IZoLI0S-mC3x3rV9JjIA

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Brupal

I’ve visited Victoria several times in the past few years and the decline in the downtown area is shocking. This article describes the situation quite well. Frankly it’s hard to expect any businesses to remain much longer.
https://apple.news/Ai6IZoLI0S-mC3x3rV9JjIA

Paywalled.

Anyways, I live on Pandora and haven't had any issues. The BC Supreme Court has also been pretty clear on this. If you're not going to build more housing and safe-consumption sites, you shouldn't be surprised when people are using drugs out in the open.

[Brupal]

Weird. It’s not paywalled when I click on the Apple link, but it is when I go directly to The Globe and Mail. Sorry, I make an effort to not link to paywalled sites.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Brupal

Weird. It’s not paywalled when I click on the Apple link, but it is when I go directly to The Globe and Mail. Sorry, I make an effort to not link to paywalled sites.

One of the reasons Pandora is the way it is is because a lot of the support services that the homeless population need are centralized in that area. There are obviously pros and cons to this.

[dammage79]

Yep, pretty much every outreach center is inside a two block radius on Pandora. Between Vancouver and Douglas. And a couple more on Johnson between Douglas and Quadra.

It's a very compact zone to try and manage such a large population of homeless and addicts. And those places are always always stretched beyond acceptable limits of their resources.

Post pandemic there's been a few more locations added out towards uptown but it's still over run. I'd make a blind estimate that less than 50% of the at risk population are getting adequate care and housing. And they pretty much taken up all the old hotels the government bought up during the pandemic. Which I think was around 7 motels/hotels within the area of uptown and downtown proper?

I cannot recall what Langford has but I think it's inadequate as well and Esquimalt seems pretty contained . Perhaps the most contained neighborhood outside of the upper end ones.

When I was living in my car as a working homeless person I never strayed close to those places. I felt those resources were better served towards those that really truly needed them.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Yep, pretty much every outreach center is inside a two block radius on Pandora. Between Vancouver and Douglas. And a couple more on Johnson between Douglas and Quadra.

It's a very compact zone to try and manage such a large population of homeless and addicts. And those places are always always stretched beyond acceptable limits of their resources.

Post pandemic there's been a few more locations added out towards uptown but it's still over run. I'd make a blind estimate that less than 50% of the at risk population are getting adequate care and housing. And they pretty much taken up all the old hotels the government bought up during the pandemic. Which I think was around 7 motels/hotels within the area of uptown and downtown proper?

I cannot recall what Langford has but I think it's inadequate as well and Esquimalt seems pretty contained . Perhaps the most contained neighborhood outside of the upper end ones.

When I was living in my car as a working homeless person I never strayed close to those places. I felt those resources were better served towards those that really truly needed them.

Sounds like John Carpenter was onto something and we should just isolate Vancouver Island as some sort of rehab/penal colony 'Escape from New York' style.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Locke

Sounds like John Carpenter was onto something and we should just isolate Vancouver Island as some sort of rehab/penal colony 'Escape from New York' style.

I've suggested similar although we definitely don't need to give them all of Vancouver Island. Something like Salt Spring should be enough. Just need to air drop food, drugs and supplies periodically and let the inhabitants sort things out on their own according (Lord of the Flies style.)

[Locke]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I've suggested similar although we definitely don't need to give them all of Vancouver Island. Something like Salt Spring should be enough. Just need to air drop food, drugs and supplies periodically and let the inhabitants sort things out on their own according (Lord of the Flies style.)

The problem is that if you dont give them the whole island then blockading them off from the mainland becomes really problematic and much more difficult.

You just tell the islanders that they have until a certain date and time to vacate and then after that they're on their own and we parachute in convicts, criminals and addicts after that and then...let come what may.

Of course televising the entire event.

[evman150]

Originally Posted by Brupal

I’ve visited Victoria several times in the past few years and the decline in the downtown area is shocking. This article describes the situation quite well. Frankly it’s hard to expect any businesses to remain much longer.
https://apple.news/Ai6IZoLI0S-mC3x3rV9JjIA

Downtown Victoria is a lot more than just those couple blocks of Pandora. The core certainly has issues, but to use this article to paint it as uniformly declining is fallacious.

Downtown Victoria is still vibrant, beautiful, full of history, and fun to spend time in. Of course there are homeless people - Victoria has by far the best climate in the country - and of course that stretch of Pandora is absolutely awful. But to indict the entire downtown based on a two-block stretch is dishonest.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by evman150

and of course that stretch of Pandora is absolutely awful. But to indict the entire downtown based on a two-block stretch is dishonest.

It's also a lot more well-managed than the DTES. Obviously there are crimes and open-air drug-use, but it's all fairly contained and doesn't really affect the average citizen as long as you're not being confrontational with the people who live there.

That's been my experience anyways. I definitely prefer it when my girlfriend takes an Uber over instead of walking late at night, but that's also true in general.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by evman150

Downtown Victoria is a lot more than just those couple blocks of Pandora. The core certainly has issues, but to use this article to paint it as uniformly declining is fallacious.

Downtown Victoria is still vibrant, beautiful, full of history, and fun to spend time in. Of course there are homeless people - Victoria has by far the best climate in the country - and of course that stretch of Pandora is absolutely awful. But to indict the entire downtown based on a two-block stretch is dishonest.

When I was last in Vic (early April 2025) it seems to have been cleaned up, there was fencing along the road.

All that means is those individuals have to find somewhere else.

It's sad really, my wife always reminds me that these are someone's kids, brother/sister or parent.

Since the boy has been at UVic this past year we have been out there a few times.

Absolutely lovely city and part of the country.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

All that means is those individuals have to find somewhere else.

It's sad.

Not completely sad! Some of that crowd have been given supportive housing, and you'll never guess what happened. They largely got sober and have reintegrated back into society.

Wild what happens when you take care of a basic human need.