3 possible reasons why people don't flock to winnipeg

So my girlfriend and I moved to Winnipeg in late April from Tofino. I grew up in Winnipeg and it will be my true home forever even if i don't physically live here. Her however, likes Winnipeg but recently she said three things she cannot stand about pegcity.

Anyone care to guess what three things a recent transplant would say negatively affect tbe city? You might be surprised, might not.

cc

#1 deterrant to move here:

THE WEATHER!!

Too many people sitting around doing nothing, like the mods, posting all day!

The three were

Weather
Garbage in the streets
Bums on the street downtown

Weather, yes nothing can be done, take it or leave it.
Garbage, she noted we have recycling bins nearly everywhere downtown (which are noteably absent in vancouver) however there is a disporportionate amount of garbage (litter) floating around the streets and bus shelters.
Bums downtown, (shes down with green things like taking public transit) but who wants to when there are people who smell of rubber cement and alcohol sleeping in them?

I have no counter arguement for her, do you?

casualchris wrote:The three were

Weather
Garbage in the streets
Bums on the street downtown

Weather, yes nothing can be done, take it or leave it.
Garbage, she noted we have recycling bins nearly everywhere downtown (which are noteably absent in vancouver) however there is a disporportionate amount of garbage (litter) floating around the streets and bus shelters.
Bums downtown, (shes down with green things like taking public transit) but who wants to when there are people who smell of rubber cement and alcohol sleeping in them?

I have no counter arguement for her, do you?

Have the city hire the Homeless to collect the garbage. This is what a lot of homeless people in Calgary do, and they get paid well. The streets of Calgary are a sanitation worker's dream.

PS...what are the people like in BC? I find Albertans are more polite and willing to help you out. When I lived there, I was pleasantly surprised coming from "Friendly" Manitoba

LennyJessop wrote:Have the city hire the Homeless to collect the garbage. This is what a lot of homeless people in Calgary do, and they get paid well. The streets of Calgary are a sanitation worker's dream.

WOuldn't they have to be unionized?

Winnipeg was known for her clean streets at one time. Maybe it's the unionized city workers that aren't doing a great job...

I lived in Toronto for 16 years and I can tell you, at least compared to Toronto, Winnipeg has the friendliest peeps around. My experience in other cities was mostly neutral. You run into the nicest people and the biggest jerks everywhere. I guess people treat you as they find you.

Can't argue the bums on the street issue when talking about downtown. But I remember walking in Downtown Vancouver one sunny spring day a couple years ago when I ran into more bums that I've ever seen in Winnipeg. Go to the right area of any city and you'll find too many undesirables.

Perhaps ours are more noticeable because they are so prominent in our major downtown areas.

okay well in van i think theres two camps when it comes to homeless/bums

there are the crackheads/meth/whatever else on hastings and generally speaking they stay there.

there are also the homeless who yes live on the street but they're more of the shopping cart bottle picker live in a tent type who dont panhandle or sleep in bus shelters.

I think out west the homeless bottle pick for money rather than panhandle and while technically 'homeless' they live in a tent or some such thing instead of needing what little warmth comes from the warm benches of the bus shacks.

and as a sidenote, our apartment is backed to the back lane and when i hear the random bottle picker push they're cart up the lane it reminds me of home out west. BC bottle pickers out number winnipeg pickers by 10-1 i figure.

atleast they're not panhandling and you could say they do something for the environment and themselves instead of simply sitting on the sidewalk with a cup.

Last time I was in Vancouver (2008) I was harassed by "bums" constantly....my cousin lives off of Commercial Drive and wow I had never seen that many bums, crackheads and junkies in all of my life. One of the crackheads was doing her dance on Commercial and had this festering boil on her neck, it was disgusting. She came up to me and asked me if she could use my cell phone, I told her sure but then I would have to burn to after. Ewww is all I can say.

But yes I see bums downtown Winnipeg, I do not go downtown much but when I do (mostly to see a concert) I see a few bums here and there. I have never really been bothered by them.

casualchris wrote:Bums downtown, (shes down with green things like taking public transit) but who wants to when there are people who smell of rubber cement and alcohol sleeping in them?

I have no counter arguement for her, do you?

It was nail polish remover I picked up for my wife and the bottle broke by accident,....and I was really tired that day, so just cut a guy some slack, OK?

Goth_chic wrote:Last time I was in Vancouver (2008) I was harassed by "bums" constantly....my cousin lives off of Commercial Drive and wow I had never seen that many bums, crackheads and junkies in all of my life. One of the crackheads was doing her dance on Commercial and had this festering boil on her neck, it was disgusting. She came up to me and asked me if she could use my cell phone, I told her sure but then I would have to burn to after. Ewww is all I can say.

Wait until you see downtown Calgary. All along Stephen Avenue and the 7th Ave C-Train stations. They never really bothered me, except asking me constantly if I needed "food" (slang for crack). At night, Stephen Ave could be a bit scary as all walks of life come out to do their drug of choice (usually crack).

casualchris wrote:

I think out west the homeless bottle pick for money rather than panhandle and while technically 'homeless' they live in a tent or some such thing instead of needing what little warmth comes from the warm benches of the bus shacks.

Sounds a lot like Calgary's homeless.

In Winnipeg in Winter time the "bums", homeless freeze to death if they aren't taken off the streets. Why aren't the bums given adequate, safe lodging? They are but many of these people have mental health problems.
Downtown Winnipeg is so clean from debris, it is amazing. The City has all of these youngsters walking around in coloured T-shirts, picking up papers, etc, it is amazing.
Poor people asking for money , what areas? Portage avenue?
Lame excuse , because every City has this problem in certain areas. Get a list of the areas and stay away!

Rosen, we are building housing for the homeless. I cant remember how many beds though. It should be on the city website under news releases.

No beds, just a shiny floor. Comes with a "tower of hope."

Deank wrote:Rosen, we are building housing for the homeless. I cant remember how many beds though. It should be on the city website under news releases.

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/homelessness/index.shtml

Casualcris- the only excuse that may hold water is the drastic temperature changes.
If you don't enjoy skating, toboganning, cross country skiing, skidooing, ice fishing, hunting moose at night, freezing to death in a bus shelter, than why would you stay in Winnipeg?

Holy molly! What the hell am I doing here? Damn it!
Oh yes , I remember, its the great health care! and the alzheimers research, and GOM's Mods, who are going to do something soon! lol

"Bums on the street downtown"

I have seen worse downtown in Edmonton
I have heard of worse in downtown (insert name of most large cities in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America)

"Garbage in the streets"

really? I have to admit it may seem like a couple of months in the spring before its cleaned up, but the reality is with all the thaws and freezing it takes for us to finally get a non freezing stretch of time, its very difficult to actually keep everything perfectly clean. Once we do clean up after winter thaw I really dont see us as having a problem.

The city used to have a really good recycling program when it was private. They would take anything. Now it is city run and they hardly take anything!

We need to expand the items that can be picked up through recycling program and implement curbside compost pickup.

Bums - that a long term societal problem. Look at the demographic - mostly native. IMHO it stems from the reserve system. People grow up on a reserve in culture of dependency and entitlement. They have no sense of self ownership or respect for personal property - because if they need something, they ask the band. They come to Winnipeg and end up in shitty housing, because they don't have any sense of needing to do maintenance or upkeep. They end up on the street because they don't know how to support themselves. It may sound crass, but take away all the native panhandlers and you'll drop the number by at least 75%.

Disband the reserve system. Provide natives with $X per person ( enough to give them housing and support for a few years) and let them integrate into society. In the long run ti will cost less, but you'll have a few vocal people (chiefs) that will oppose it all the way.

"The city used to have a really good recycling program when it was private. They would take anything. Now it is city run and they hardly take anything!"

How old of a program are you talking about? The one immediatly before the current one sucked some serious ass. Now you can at least just throw it all in, no sorting, no washing. gonna be even easier when they give us all those gigantic recycling automated pick up boxes..

err I mean If.. yeah if..based on feedback... heh..

" implement curbside compost pickup." curbside compost pickup like they have in Toronto where they freakin take everything would be pretty cool. Heck they even take diapers!
Is anyone on here part of that trial run they are doing?

Deank wrote:"The city used to have a really good recycling program when it was private. They would take anything. Now it is city run and they hardly take anything!"

How old of a program are you talking about? The one immediatly before the current one sucked some serious ass. Now you can at least just throw it all in, no sorting, no washing. gonna be even easier when they give us all those gigantic recycling automated pick up boxes..

err I mean If.. yeah if..based on feedback... heh..

Back in the day when there was red box, green box and blue box.

One of them took pretty much everything including things like motor oil and paint.