Downtown Red Deer going down the tubes?

[the.tru.albertan]

Lots of people on social media talking about this.

The incoming safe consumption site has really stoked the fire regarding the people loitering around downtown Red Deer. It has become very visible. A small city with really big city problems it seems.

I drove past Turning Point on Little Gaetz Ave a couple weeks ago on a Friday afternoon. It looked like the lot behind it was jam-packed with people pushing stolen shopping carts with their belongings. It's crazy how many people are down there now. Never used to be like this.

[ReconWilly]

Progressive utopia!

[JB_AOL]

Are you new to RD?

(It's always been a crime-ridden dt)

Lived in Lower Fairview for 3 years and still visit red deer regularly. I typically ride the trails when I'm there. It hasn't changed much in 18 years.

[sewerrat]

Nothing new,
The strip club down town is complaining that they are loosing business because the patrons are being harassed.

https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news...lice-and-city/

Even in our neighborhood we have a drug house down the street where a lot of stolen vehicles have been hauled out and the cops are there every other day.

[Badgerbadger]

I heard it was mostly because the people who used to camp between the highways north of Gasoline Alley were pushed out when they cut down the trees.

[Coyotebutcher]

I lived in red deer 12 years ago. Downtown, across from the casino. Doesn’t sound like it’s changed at all. There’s three crackhead bars side by side at the other end of (Ross st) if I recall correctly. The 7-11 and casino are swarmed with drug addicts. I wouldn’t want to move back.

[Map Maker]

Originally Posted by Badgerbadger

I heard it was mostly because the people who used to camp between the highways north of Gasoline Alley were pushed out when they cut down the trees.

^this.

I walk/bike the river trails at night, and never had an encounter.
Lots more homeless garbage along the river banks but isolated.
Red deer has always been a small transient town.

[the.tru.albertan]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

Are you new to RD?

(It's always been a crime-ridden dt)

Lived in Lower Fairview for 3 years and still visit red deer regularly. I typically ride the trails when I'm there. It hasn't changed much in 18 years.

Been around the area for a while. Born there. Also lived in Lower Fairview for a few years. I'd actually say that the problem is much more worse now, than 10 years ago

Originally Posted by sewerrat

Nothing new,
The strip club down town is complaining that they are loosing business because the patrons are being harassed.

https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news...lice-and-city/

Even in our neighborhood we have a drug house down the street where a lot of stolen vehicles have been hauled out and the cops are there every other day.

I saw that article a few days ago. I was surprised they didn't start complaining a long time ago.

Originally Posted by Badgerbadger

I heard it was mostly because the people who used to camp between the highways north of Gasoline Alley were pushed out when they cut down the trees.

Probably something to do with it. Gasoline Alley was probably happy as hell tho.

Originally Posted by Coyotebutcher

I lived in red deer 12 years ago. Downtown, across from the casino. Doesn’t sound like it’s changed at all. There’s three crackhead bars side by side at the other end of (Ross st) if I recall correctly. The 7-11 and casino are swarmed with drug addicts. I wouldn’t want to move back.

Only two strip clubs exist in downtown now. No nightclubs or bars. There's Hudsons Pub at the bottom of Stantec Place but that's an actual nice place to go. Lotus and Cowboys and The Club don't exist anymore. Downtown 7-11 is a bad place to be still. I don't know how Jackpot puts up with that.

There are people that own houses that back onto green spaces complaining they can't sell their homes. The parks out their back windows are strewn with garbage and needle debris. People living in tents.

[Ken07AOVette]

WhAaat? Drug use is bad for a community?

Haven't you seen all the topics about how wonderful drugs are and how they are going to save Canada?

Seriously though I hate to read this, I always really enjoyed Red Deer as did my family when we stayed there sometimes for nearly a week at a time. It is truly a shame what the powers-that-be everywhere are voluntolding us without considered input or actual research.

In Unity the Co-op was giving away free overdose medication to anyone that wanted it. Naloxone for fentanyl overdose. Why not epipens for allergies or chemotherapy for starving cancer victims or insulin for diabetics? A friend of ours has to pay $100 per pill per day for the rest of her life to battle leukemia. What a kick in the teeth.

No glory in saving someone if it isn't self abuse apparently.

[kodiakken]

Red Deer is a shathole through and through. Starting with the stop and go traffic with all the lights and those want to be traffic circles!
It just gets worse from there.

[Trochu]

The only reason I usually go downtown is to visit the Red Boar Smokery, well worth the visit.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

I was born and raised in Red Deer. Growing up in lower Fairview was awesome. Everyone knew each other and there was always lots to do. The bmx track just down the street from my house to all the kids playing soccer, football and lots of hockey in the winter at north rink. Then all the hard drugs started getting funneled here from the big city’s. I still don’t take kindly when people bash my home town because it is no worse than any other place I have been and still has a lot to offer as far as I am concerned.
The problem as with any other city is the drugs and Red Deer in particular being in the middle of two large city’s seems to draw all the dirt bags from edmonchuck and calgry. Given red deers size they stand out more. These people use up all their drug credit and can’t pay the bill so they flood to red deer to hide. It is and has been getting worse year by year. I don’t know the solution to this problem. It’s easy to say get more police but unless you round them all up and finish the lobotomy they are slowly working on they will just keep coming back no matter how far you kick them to what ever place they came from.

[Backwoods.Barbie]

Originally Posted by the.tru.albertan

Lots of people on social media talking about this.

The incoming safe consumption site has really stoked the fire regarding the people loitering around downtown Red Deer. It has become very visible. A small city with really big city problems it seems.

I drove past Turning Point on Little Gaetz Ave a couple weeks ago on a Friday afternoon. It looked like the lot behind it was jam-packed with people pushing stolen shopping carts with their belongings. It's crazy how many people are down there now. Never used to be like this.

I couldn't agree more. I have lived in RD all my life and never have I seen it this bad. I attend post secondary down town and its super unsettling leaving campus in the dark. It seems like everything got out of control after the mass oilfield layoffs and has just spiralled ever since.

[does it ALL outdoors]

Originally Posted by ^v^Tinda wolf^v^

The problem as with any other city is the drugs and Red Deer in particular being in the middle of two large city’s seems to draw all the dirt bags from edmonchuck and calgry. Given red deers size they stand out more. These people use up all their drug credit and can’t pay the bill so they flood to red deer to hide.

I just can't see it, a homeless person making the trek that far either north or south for what, better drugs?

And I just can't see a street dealer extending credit to a homeless person, but I'm sure it does happen but can't see it being that common.

Red Deer has been fairly grown up for quite a while now, just a guess but I would bet money most of them are native to Red Deer, if anything I could see Red Deer's homeless making the trek to the bigger city's not the other way around.

[Boogerfart]

I was born in RedDeer but haven't lived there in years, still lots of family there though. I think the increase in problems has been happening across the province, it's just more obvious when it's close to home. I live in a small town of 1000 people and have had more problems in the last two or three years than ever before, the combination of easy money drying up and more people still moving here looking for jobs is bound to cause trouble.

[sewerrat]

Every morning at 10 am all the bums are lined up at the superstore liquor store and begging for money from people going into the grocery store, Also the McDonalds is where all the shopping carts are parked. I hate going thru Down town.

[the.tru.albertan]

Originally Posted by kodiakken

Red Deer is a shathole through and through. Starting with the stop and go traffic with all the lights and those want to be traffic circles!
It just gets worse from there.

Don't knock the roundabouts. They are fantastic.

Originally Posted by Trochu

The only reason I usually go downtown is to visit the Red Boar Smokery, well worth the visit.

Is it still good? I heard its went downhill.

[the.tru.albertan]

Originally Posted by sewerrat

Every morning at 10 am all the bums are lined up at the superstore liquor store and begging for money from people going into the grocery store, Also the McDonalds is where all the shopping carts are parked. I hate going thru Down town.

Well, the safe consumption site is going over at Safe Harbours... right next to Superstore. Problem might actually get worse.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by the.tru.albertan

Is it still good? I heard its went downhill.

It's possibly gone downhill somewhat, but I still enjoy it.

[happy honker]

uhg...I was coming to Red Deer for CFR, maybe I'll just bring my trailer and stay at my buddy's in Penhold.

[MK2750]

Originally Posted by does it ALL outdoors

I just can't see it, a homeless person making the trek that far either north or south for what, better drugs?

And I just can't see a street dealer extending credit to a homeless person, but I'm sure it does happen but can't see it being that common.

Red Deer has been fairly grown up for quite a while now, just a guess but I would bet money most of them are native to Red Deer, if anything I could see Red Deer's homeless making the trek to the bigger city's not the other way around.

Theirs is a lawless society with their own set of rules and morals. If you rape, steal, assault or even kill the police are not called. You are dealt with among the group. This could be as minor as a punch in the face or a major beating and banishment. You literally get out of town or you probably aren't going to survive. One of the worst offences, ironically, is a rat out to the police.

When drug deals go south a person is literally hunted by the person or gang they ripped off. They were not homeless before stealing or losing the drugs/money but all of a sudden find themselves on the run with no income. It is not safe to back to their residence so they flee the city and end up on the streets of another.

Then there is the countless runaways from all over the place. They have some money when the leave home and end up where ever.

Also considered those unlucky in love and/or employment that turn to the bottle or drugs. The worse case scenario are those without support from family locally.

To your point, I would bet money that less than 10% of the street people in Red Deer are born and raised here. Red Deer is a very decent city with the vast majority being very decent hard working people. The drug problem is visible due to the size of the city but rampant across Canada. There is no doubt more street people in Calgary and Edmonton than the whole population of Red Deer.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by happy honker

uhg...I was coming to Red Deer for CFR, maybe I'll just bring my trailer and stay at my buddy's in Penhold.

Lol.. Penhold's almost as bad.

[Sleddawg]

Originally Posted by ^v^Tinda wolf^v^

I was born and raised in Red Deer. Growing up in lower Fairview was awesome. Everyone knew each other and there was always lots to do. The bmx track just down the street from my house to all the kids playing soccer, football and lots of hockey in the winter at north rink. Then all the hard drugs started getting funneled here from the big city’s. I still don’t take kindly when people bash my home town because it is no worse than any other place I have been and still has a lot to offer as far as I am concerned.
The problem as with any other city is the drugs and Red Deer in particular being in the middle of two large city’s seems to draw all the dirt bags from edmonchuck and calgry. Given red deers size they stand out more. These people use up all their drug credit and can’t pay the bill so they flood to red deer to hide. It is and has been getting worse year by year. I don’t know the solution to this problem. It’s easy to say get more police but unless you round them all up and finish the lobotomy they are slowly working on they will just keep coming back no matter how far you kick them to what ever place they came from.

So they are able to pay their drug debts whilst in RD? Otherwise by your theory they would then flee RD after using up all their "drug credit"

[the.tru.albertan]

Originally Posted by happy honker

uhg...I was coming to Red Deer for CFR, maybe I'll just bring my trailer and stay at my buddy's in Penhold.

Just stay at a hotel in Gasoline Alley or even south Red Deer. Tons of hotels in Gas Alley.

[Jack Hardin]

When I used to live in Innisfail back in the 60's, downtown Red deer was safe and vibrant, that was before the shopping malls came in. Gatze Ave south of the river has turned into a ghetto. a couple of years ago I parked a block from the provincial building and during that one block walk, I was approached twice for money. I go to Red Deer often, but not downtown unless I absolutely have to. It's too bad, it was a nice safe city back then (60's).

[cranky]

We quit stopping at the same hotel a few years back that we used to frequent during our trips to or through RedDeer. It was getting to close to the spreading transients. Used to like the location at that hotel as it was walking distance to Hortons and DQ and a pizza shop. We now stay in one a bit further south on Gaetz Ave.

Still a nice little town but getting bigger and busier. Sure can tell by the traffic. The drivers i notice seem to be getting in a bigger rush along with a bit of impatience now and then than a few years ago. To bad.

Transient problem will grow like anywhere else as place gets more population i guess.

[Red Bullets]

Seems like Alberta cities like letting their downtown sections become the 'inner city' before they revitalize and push the methheads into the suburbs.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Seems like Alberta cities like letting their downtown sections become the 'inner city' before they revitalize and push the methheads into the suburbs.

It's not a matter of "letting" them overtake.

Take a look at most cities in western Canada. What entices people to go downtown aside from "to work". Nothing. It's not an inviting place and never was. Its not like Toronto where there's a legitimate evening scene (aside from pubs/bars).

It's a different society out here. Downtown is basically ghost town on the weekends.

[no-regard]

I live in Lethbridge where we've had a safe consumption site for awhile now. Maybe you've seen some of the news, things have definitely gotten much worse around here.

Local businesses near the SCS are reporting non-stop issues with the users, security problems, garbage, people shooting up etc. Not to mention huge losses in business as customers don't want to go anywhere near the place.

Vehicle break ins are way up. Possibly the worst part of it is the increase in needles and drug paraphernalia that is being found all over the city, a lot of which seems to end up in playgrounds.

Parents in the city are in an uproar, there have been many cases of kids finding/playing with this crap, and several kids have been poked, which according to a news article from the other day leads to 1 year of blood tests for disease detection.

Not good.

[CanadianPsycho]

I've noticed it more lately as well. Grew up in Red Deer, spent most of my life here up until a couple years back. Barely spent a week here in the last year. Coming back now regularly I've noticed a lot more homeless around, biking/walking the paths more tent set ups and drug paraphernalia. Personally I think its getting worse. Unfortunately social groups want to make the city a safe space for hard drug use and lots of options for homeless which helps bring them here. Add a lack of law enforcement makes it a perfect storm for crime.