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Downtown Victoria Business Association: more cops on beat


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#41 Holden West

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 04:37 PM

His press release clarifies that in his letter to the police and in an interview with the T/C he never described downtown as "[url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=af8ddcfc-e008-46ef-b51f-1cea99a9b6cc&k=30193:f8e3f]scary[/url:f8e3f]" and that using that word in a headline is counterproductive. He simply called for more beat cops and for all affected stakeholders to work harder on solving these complex social issues.
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#42 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 06:18 PM

How come buskers are highly regulated, but some guy with his cap out is allowed to operate freely?
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#43 Holden West

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 06:51 PM

How about the Greenpeace/SPCA/Unicef etc canvassers? Or the guy with the giant anti-Iraq war sign? Or the sign-waving restaurant hustlers on Government Street?
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#44 m0nkyman

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 08:27 PM

If you don't think that downtown Victoria has a problem, you haven't been outside the city in a while. I'm in Edmonton in large part because Victoria's downtown has been allowed to become a shithole.

In the last ten years our store has had an armed robbery, three smashed windows, and I was stabbed by a junkie with his needle. On a daily basis we encounter people shooting up, passed out, or vomit on the streets when we walk our dogs in the morning or at night.

Sorry, but I lived and worked in the Byward Market in Ottawa for ten years, and never saw anything like what's being allowed to fester in downtown Victoria.

I was on the Chamber of Commerce Street Issues Commitee, and we basically got shut out from making any policy statements, so most of us quit. I've pretty much moved to Edmonton at this point.

Council spends way too much time discussing how to help the homeless.

Here's a free clue. If you encourage business, our taxes will pay for the services that the homeless need. If you cater to the homeless to the point that businesses are closing, or leaving town because the business climate sucks, then the tax base shrinks, and it's a downward spiral from there.

We're about one incident away from closing the doors...

#45 Holden West

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 08:41 PM

What do you mean, cater to the homeless? What do you propose?
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#46 Oxford Sutherland

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 08:44 PM

It's not so much a Victoria problem as it is a BC problem. The same situation exists in Vancouver and Kelowna, and probably Nanaimo too.

Not much will change in any of the cities in BC unless the provincial government puts more funding into drug treatment and social housing.

#47 m0nkyman

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 09:12 PM

More funding for drug treatment is essential. Beds, and most importantly funding for support after they've gone through the program. Take all the money being spent on stupid crap like safe injection sites and put every penny possible into rehab. When we can help everyone who is screaming for help to get off drugs, then and only then am I inclined to spend money making it more comfortable to shoot up drugs bought with money stolen from people in the community.

Reinstate mental health programs that have been decimated over the last few years.

Actually ****ing enforce the no-go zones that are typically inserted into parole and probation orders for the criminals. Hell, actually go after the heroin and crack dealers that are openly operating all over downtown.

Actively encourage street activity in the downtown. Stupid crap like not fining late night pizza places because of fights instead of putting out a call for more so that the crowd gets spread out more.

Tax incentives for live/work buildings. Hell, give a 10% tax discount to any business whose owners actually live in Victoria as opposed to Saanich or Esquimalt or Toronto.

Instead, what I get is the joy of listening to everybody at City Council tell me how wonderful Al Tysick is. Yes Al is a great guy. He's done a lot for Victoria. So have the Jawl's. So has Clive Piercy. So has my family. So have dozens of developers, land owners and business people who have paid millions in taxes, and have donated money, time and effort into making Victoria a liveable place. But they get treated like **** by City Council, and Al and the rest of the social service providers get treated with kid gloves.

Compare for a moment the treatment of the Open Door to the treatment of the pizza place in where Cross' butcher shop was... Why do you think the pizza place was pilloried. Profit perhaps? Because they had the effrontery to actually try to make a profit in this city?

I'm not trying to attack the social service providers. All of them with the exception of TAPS are quite functional and doing essential services. No, I'm attacking the attitude that city council seems to have that the government is there to provide services for the poor, and that business exists solely to be milked for taxes for that purpose. My attitude is that government is there to create an environment where businesses and people can flourish. One of the things that makes business flourish is a community where the poor are looked after and given a hand up . It's a subtle difference, but it makes for totally different approaches to finding solutions.

#48 Mike K.

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 09:38 PM

^how true.

Its ironic that many of the homeless on our streets are actually out of towners, but when out of towners choose to purchase units in our condos and our homes they're described as a problem.

Monkeyman, have you written council about your take on this issue?

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#49 m0nkyman

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 09:44 PM

Monkeyman, have you written council about your take on this issue?


I'm a poor writer. I'm much better when I address council in person, or one on one. :oops:

#50 Mike K.

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 09:51 PM

You've certainly got the right argument to drive home a powerful message with council, whatever your choice of medium 8)

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#51 m0nkyman

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Posted 19 October 2006 - 10:41 PM

* I do carry a concealed handgun from 12am - 5am if I'm not drinking.


Mind if I ask how you got an ATC?

#52 Doc Sage

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Posted 23 October 2006 - 07:04 PM

I live downtown and I do walk the core regularly...at night. Never been scared.

I will admit that the homeless problem is getting bigger every year...the drug problem too.

I have not seen an officer of the law (or a pair of them) on the walk in years and, if my mine serves me well, the last time was an early Saturday morning some years back. At night you will see them riding their non indentified black cars or SUV's and if any problem arise three or four vehicles will show up in no time.

I would think that regular presence of police officers, on the beat, would be a deterrent to many downtown woes. Imagine seeing them greeting anyone they would come accross, being seen day to day, chatting with bus riders waiting for a bus, a single officer consuming coffee at the local coffee shop, etc...

At this years Symphony Splash I saw a group of officers standing in a circle talking to each others and none ever said a simple "hello" to anyone walking by them. They looked like they were shy to be among the general population.

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#53 mikedw

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Posted 24 October 2006 - 07:12 PM

Its ironic that many of the homeless on our streets are actually out of towners


I describe this is as being a dilletante derelict. I work full-time and I get paid pretty well. Nevetheless, I can't afford to summer out of town. Yet, our population of homeless people balloons when the sun comes out. How can they travel? Where are they getting their money from? How can I tap into this travel bonanza?

How can our homeless population climb in the summer?
Here are some things that traditionally spark an upswing in poverty and homeless:

Economic downturn - no cash
Disaster - no homes
Large spike in population - more people = more homeless people-- the numer of homeless clim
Fast drop in housing availability - yes, this has happened, but not in step with the homeless rise

Do any of these factors describe Victoria? We're awash in Help Wanted signs. A&W has a hiring bonus. A hiring bonus! We're being scammed by out-of-towners. They're sapping our social services and our pocket change. When that isn't good enough, they're breaking into our cars and our houses.
This problem is easy to fix. When police did a sweep of the recreationally poor and ran criminal record checks they found alot of outstanding warrants. If you arrest criminals and deport them to where they are wanted, the problem has, in effect, been shipped off.

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#54 Holden West

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Posted 24 October 2006 - 08:12 PM

I was told quite a few young Quebecois round up enough cash to come out to BC, spend a few weeks in the Okanagan picking fruit and they then come to Victoria when the cash runs out.

You can't really make a judgement call on some of these people. True, some are too lazy to work, or reject the system however, some are truly at the end of their rope through no fault of their own. In between that are a hundred variations.
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#55 gumgum

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Posted 24 October 2006 - 09:02 PM

A lot of people in Canada see Victoria as a kind of mecca/ last chance to make it. It paradise to them, but know it is a risk to move out here, because moving to any strange city is a risk. If they take the risk and make the move, which often is motivated by dire and desperate personal circumstances, they see it as a "do or die" thing.
They'll make it, make something for themselves in the west; this ideology combined with the similar ideology in the sixties that American's felt for San Fran.
Or they won't make it.
All too often, they don't and end up on the street.
Sorry if that sounded discombobulated...

#56 Holden West

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Posted 08 November 2006 - 07:29 AM

Mayor Lowe was on CBC 1 this morning talking police amalgamation. They played a clip of Frank Leonard saying Victoria and Saanich share the same tax base, and we have our own problems--we have to patrol UVic and Camosun, with first year students away from home from the first time--it's hard! Victoria has to solve its own problems...

Lowe's response was that the average case load for Victoria cops is 90, the average for Saanich is 50 and Oak Bay cops only have 40 cases at any one time.

BTW, you know of course, the average Oak Bay case isn't necessarily the same as the average Victoria case. (All available units! Homeowner using a leafblower at 6:30 A.M. on Monterey Avenue! All units respond!)
"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#57 G-Man

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Posted 08 November 2006 - 08:17 AM

^Too true!

Does Leonard think he is making friends here?

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#58 TheVisionary

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Posted 13 November 2006 - 01:13 AM

Don't the rest of you know that some so called homeless people are not poor and destitute? I hear some are professional beggars with fancy houses, nice cars, cell phones, etc. They just dress crappy to beg for money from naive soft tourists and then they close up business and go home. Sometimes police tell them to go away because they are onto their fake scam.

$1-2 every 5-10 minutes apparently leads to big time yearly earnings. Hah, I always thought excessively soft people were weak and easilly taken advantage of.

#59 m0nkyman

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Posted 13 November 2006 - 10:54 AM

Don't the rest of you know that some so called homeless people are not poor and destitute? I hear some are professional beggars with fancy houses, nice cars, cell phones, etc. They just dress crappy to beg for money from naive soft tourists and then they close up business and go home. Sometimes police tell them to go away because they are onto their fake scam..


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