Drop in centres need structures and rules. This article fails to mention that there has been another drop in for many years in Bridgewater that has not garnered this response from the guests or community.
How about Souls Harbour Rescue Mission? https://shrm.ca/index.php/contact-us
Looks like that has been there since 2016. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bridgewater-souls-harbour-rescue-mission-soup-kitchen-homeless-poverty-1.3660202
Honestly, I was rather surprised how hard it was to find. You would hope these sorts of places would be easier to locate if you needed it.
Perhaps [SSODA](https://www.ssoda.org/), which was much easier to find online, directs folks to the needed resources. I hope so.
If the businesses don't want to deal with the proliferation of homeless people, perhaps they should back political candidates that will prioritize mental health care and low cost housing over tax cuts.
Two points:
1. Many of them DO back said candidates
2. Many do not have a problem with the homeless and want to help, but the reported fights and unreported shoplifting, drinking in the street, and used needles in the park directly across from the centre aren't helping the cause.
But ya, screw the local businesses, its better that they shut down than the drop in centre try and work with the community to deal with these significant issues. That would show the shop owners and employees. They can join the oppressed that they were keeping down with their attempts to run a small town store.
**Edit**: I am under the impression that many people here think that any business must be owned by some filthy rich douch-canoe who doesn't care about anyone but themselves. Truth is, many of the stores on King Street are small mom-and-pop type shops that are just trying to make ends meet. Its strange that so many folks think that their concerns merit no consideration, when it is just going to add to the homeless problem in the end (fewer viable businesses means more people out of work and out of homes).
Don't stress about it. The unspoken rule for some people is that anyone whose lot in life is better than their own is automatically part of the problem.
Let's go one better-- just about every politician has at least two homes considered residences-- why not call on them to open even just some of their multiple houses to the homeless? Also, most politicians own multiple rental properties-- let's force them offer their real estate holdings as subsidized housing?
Or if that's too invasive, how about instead of expensing 10's of thousands ofndollars a year for office furniture and "business travel", they work from their homes ans use their exisitng MS Office suite licenses to meet virtually, where the system can automatically transcribe the meetings and interact with Copilot to produce quality meeting notes/follow up?
These problems were large created by greedy politicians-- the onus of solving them shouldn't fall to random residents and taxpayers.
Yeah, as someone who's seen the state of absolute disrepair of social housing units, and who has friends and family who have done Reno work in these similar houses, it's a fucking disaster how people treat social housing: punching a hole in the drywall next to the lazy boy as a second trash can because the one under the sink is too far, having a "poop room" for the dog because they don't want it to go outside (it's seldom cleaned, if ever), or just casually smoking crack inside the house with the kids, and throwing a fit when the supervisor asks them not to smoke it while the work crew is there.
The poop room was of my own (awful) experience, the other ones came from friends of contracted Reno firms.
Social housing is critical for low income people, but it comes at an immense long term maintenance cost because people who are given something like that for free or super cheap will treat it like garbage.
Ugh I am so sorry you had to experience the aftermath.
I think as a society we need to work on social values on how we treat public property.
In other countries people respect their social infrastructure.
Over here it's an attitude of it being owed to you and having the right to abuse it.
I mean, you are assuming the residences they own are Empty currently, yes? During the lowest vacancy market we've ever had with the highest immigration we've ever had? Politicians must forcibly eject or evict anyone living in their homes including themselves so homeless people can move in? I understand your emotion, but this doesn't have toes let alone feet or legs to stand on as an idea.
Many of them do. But I guess its better for them to shut down and then the centre can have more "business". Or perhaps the centre should work with the local community and police and you can stop blaming small mom-and-pop shops for a much larger social problem.
Or are you under the impression that all of the local stores are big conglomerates? Let me disabuse you of that notion. Most of the stores are small shops run by local folk just trying to make ends meet.
In fairness.. government has not proved itself to be effective or fiscally responsible enough to be given more tax dollars. Give them an extra few billion and it will mostly be eaten up by bureaucracy and growing administration..
There is no easy solution, there may not even be a solution.. I’m not saying we shouldn’t try, but that as a society we need to change, and that it’s the people who need to want that change and willingness to sacrifice the type of lifestyle many have now.
In fairness the government has proven that it has the capacity to effectively run many programs and effectively use tax dollars depending on the program.
It's about who you have in office and their priorities.
Same issue in Sydney. Since they put the homeless shelter and safe drug site here, the place has gone to hell. Stabbings, overdoses, having sex with each other in the middle of the streets.
The safe drug site has been there for 20 years, it used to be the AIDS Co. Downtown used to be sketchy back then too. It's just come back around thanks to the lack of housing and services
It's no worse than it ever was.
In fact as someone who grew up in Glace Bay it's a hell of alot better than it was.
These people have problems they need help and you just say fuck the places that help them I don't like looking at them.
Your a horrible human.
Firstly I don't think my initial comment said anything about talking these places down. I just pointed out that these places being on central locations has caused a lot of issues.
Local businesses have to put up with these people stumbling in and out of their business. People getting stabbed in the middle of the streets. People passed out drunk everywhere. They talked about moving a lot of them to pallet homes in the pier and the residents flipped out.
Yes. They have a problem. But they do nothing to help themselves for the most part. Some of them are genuine people who fell on hard times. Others are just typical street criminals who are playing the system.
And since you're on high horse, learn the difference between your and you're. Your education growing up was free.
This what I mean get people into the safe drug sites and the needles won't be in the parks.
"But let's get rid of the safe sites cause I don't like em"
The answer is helping them but you people just want to complain.
I don’t think this is what anyone is saying. Did you even read the article? Crime and violence IS increasing. It’s not an “idea” or something locals are making up.
Do these help centers really need to be located in downtown areas? There needs to be some sort of happy medium where people are able to get help while keeping everyone else safe simultaneously.
First I did read the article, wasn't referring to the article. Did you read the comments above?
I am speaking about Sydney and the crime is not higher here now, especially if your go back 20 years.
These things do need to be downtown because that's where the people that need help are.
Crime and violence are not isolated to the homeless and those in need.
Domestic violence is on the rise those numbers are included in these statistics, but do they mention that? Will closing these place help that?
This article is biased to begin with so let's not start asking did I read the article.
So you didn’t read the article. Got it.
Domestic violence is on the rise, sure. They aren’t included in these stats. You just decided to make that up I guess.
The article clearly reads that crime levels are up in this localized area and has required more police attendance.
Why can’t we admit that this group of struggling people are more prone to crime/violence? It’s a fact, not an idea. It doesn’t help either party pretending it’s not.
Absolutely. People need to be held responsible for their actions. Being a victim of whatever they're a victim of, doesn't give them the right to victimize others.
LOL they can't even keep drugs out of prisons, which are relatively small environments they completely control. Not sure how you imagine they would be able to stop street drugs.
Having sex with each other in the middle of the streets?!?!?!?
That sounds like they're competing to win a Darwin's Award - see r/DarwinAwards or r/DarwinAward
I don't know about NS but someone posted a video of two people having sex on a downtown Vancouver sidewalk, maybe the entrance to an alleyway, two, three years ago and filmed a police car pulling up and the cops getting out, one holding his arms out in a "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?!?" gesture.
The sheer hypocrisy it takes to essentially say, '"I'm here because I need assistance, but other people who need assistance need to go somewhere else".
They're physically coming in and taking over your home now? Or you don't like that the place that's seemingly been set up for at-risk resources for several years now under one guise or another has continued to do so now that you moved in upstairs?
They don't seem to have been angry enough to speak with the media. What was the response they got from their councillor? By all means, please be the exception to the rule here and tell us about what they've done beyond employ every stereotype on the board in their 3rd party complaints online.
For the record, the reporter was preparing for her piece AS the police were on site arresting a couple of folks. The reporter moved in AFTER this was all done. You'll note that wasn't mentioned in the article. She also didn't mention that the police had been on site the two previous days arresting people on both of those days as well. The locals knew about this, but somehow the reporter didn't get the memo. Odd the things that *didn't* make it into the article even though the reporter witnessed the event. Almost like she might not necessarily have written everything she saw or was told.
The reporter wasn't on site that long. Its not like she went to all of the various local shops and residences to see what they thought. Perhaps if the reporter had reached out to folks who were busy working, or if they had been informed that there would be a reporter on site then they could have registered their displeasure with recent events.
The article you read is a tiny sliver of what is going on, and certainly wasn't the deeply researched piece that you seem to imagine it was.
You know jack about me, my experiences or what I know. I at least challenged my own assumptions and asked you direct questions about what the resident you know has done beyond let you off leash so you could hyperbolicly clutch your pearls but you've continued to avoid answering. Retribution? From whom? What are you even talking about? Real life is absolutely complicated but it's not the gang-banger fiction you seem to be implying it is.
Well, no one wants violence and drug use in their backyards. So, if you are going to have a place which supports the homeless, you should also ensure it is monitored adequately so families renting in close proximity do not feel threatened.
It’s on the main business street in Bridgewater (and it is monitored), where exactly is a better place? Keep in mind this is RURAL NS. Transport options are limited. The fact is this is a social/health issue. It won’t get better by putting resources in places that are inaccessible but socially palatable.
I would sincerely like to know more about the monitoring. Aside from the recent burst of police activity over the last week, I have not heard of any such monitoring. I heard tell that some cameras have gone up this week, but you seem to be indicating something was happening earlier as well.
The mall is up for MASSIVE renovations over the next years, which includes completely fixing up "behind the mall" to make that actual usable nice space, instead of the disaster of a waterfront that exists right now. Apparently there will be apartments in the upper floors in this renovated waterfront.
The bottom floor of the apartment building was unused, and in theory is a fine place. There is nothing wrong with helping the unhoused become part of the community, and there isn't necessarily a reason to push them to the periphery or shove them behind some unused space. The issue is the associated violence and criminal activity -- this could certainly be alleviated with appropriate controls and policing.
No? It’s been there for literally years in some iteration. The John Howard Society is just the first group to offer actual services as opposed to lip service.
I don't blame people for being concerned in every big city these type of centres attract the worst possible people. It's really a slap in the face when an elected official says people shouldn't immediately blame the homeless for increased crime when the crime didn't exist before they got there or when it's too cold for them to be a nuisance. Almost all the homeless can associate their current situation to their drug abuse problems, till those are addressed there's no point in housing, centres like these, or any other facility designed to work with people who are looking to get off the streets.
I live 5 minutes outside Bridgewater. King Street has gone downhill into a strip of payday loan shops, weed stores and tattoo parlors. Sometimes it looks like a scene from a zombie movie with hobos and stumblebums everywhere. Retail stores have fled the area and setup across the river. It’s a real shame.
Haha you act like this just happened? The mall and other stores have been across the river for decades, and Walmart/CTire centre has been there at LEAST 15 years.
This is wildly inaccurate. King Street has had a huge boom of amazing new stores and restaurants show up over the last couple of years. There are two payday loan shops that have been there as long as I can remember, there is one "weed" store that doesn't even sell weed, it's a bong shop, and two tattoo shops. There are two microbreweries, there are like seven restaurants if I'm counting correctly, two parks, and many odd shops. Your focus on what you persevere as bad is the reason you think it's "gone downhill". Personally I haven't seen King Street thriving this much in my 35 years in this town.
Major retail stores have all left. There are four pizzerias and a bunch of small shops intermingled with abandoned buildings (Bank of Montreal Gows etc etc). There is a vacant lot with weeds growing in it. The River pub is good way down at the end as is the Italian place. Thats it IMO.
"The Italian place" couldn't be any more centered on King Street. You're missing a FEW of the restaurants. Fancy Pants, River Pub, Ellen's Korean BBQ, Rascals Burrito Bar, Jac's Burger and Shakes, South Shore Homestyle Nosh, La Casetta, Ko's, South Shore Deli, IOS Pizza, Pizza Pizza, Jessy's Pizza.
I don't know what "major retail stores" you're talking about, unless you're going back to the 80s, King Street hasn't been home to major retailers in a very long time, outside of Gow's Home Furniture.
I can't imagine living with your perspective, it must be painful.
I agree. I have taken my family there several times. It is a diamond in the rough of King Street. I do stand by my comments, however. King Street is a bleak, depressing shadow of its former self, even worse is the formerly grand Pleasant Street immediately behind King Street.
Its illegal for private businesses to sell weed. If you want to buy weed in Bridgewater you should go to the NSLC. There is no store on King Street that sells weed that I know of.
We need to tax the families that make homeless and addicted people. Addiction is not a choice. It's forced on you to deal with trauma and poor mental health. Until we make everyone in an addicts life responsible for the outcome, nothing is going to change.
We see it clearly in the NIMBY attitudes in the sub. I wonder how many people here complaining have made the addicts they're complaining about.
Drop in centres need structures and rules. This article fails to mention that there has been another drop in for many years in Bridgewater that has not garnered this response from the guests or community.
What's the name of the other drop in?
How about Souls Harbour Rescue Mission? https://shrm.ca/index.php/contact-us Looks like that has been there since 2016. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bridgewater-souls-harbour-rescue-mission-soup-kitchen-homeless-poverty-1.3660202
Thank you, that sounds like what was referenced.
Honestly, I was rather surprised how hard it was to find. You would hope these sorts of places would be easier to locate if you needed it. Perhaps [SSODA](https://www.ssoda.org/), which was much easier to find online, directs folks to the needed resources. I hope so.
I hope so too.
Perhaps the one in St. Paul's Lutheran Church? https://www.ckbw.ca/2023/11/08/new-shelter-to-aid-homeless-in-bridgewater-and-lunenburg-county/
That reads like an overnight shelter that opened last year. The other poster mentioned another drop in center that's been open for several years now.
If the businesses don't want to deal with the proliferation of homeless people, perhaps they should back political candidates that will prioritize mental health care and low cost housing over tax cuts.
Two points: 1. Many of them DO back said candidates 2. Many do not have a problem with the homeless and want to help, but the reported fights and unreported shoplifting, drinking in the street, and used needles in the park directly across from the centre aren't helping the cause. But ya, screw the local businesses, its better that they shut down than the drop in centre try and work with the community to deal with these significant issues. That would show the shop owners and employees. They can join the oppressed that they were keeping down with their attempts to run a small town store. **Edit**: I am under the impression that many people here think that any business must be owned by some filthy rich douch-canoe who doesn't care about anyone but themselves. Truth is, many of the stores on King Street are small mom-and-pop type shops that are just trying to make ends meet. Its strange that so many folks think that their concerns merit no consideration, when it is just going to add to the homeless problem in the end (fewer viable businesses means more people out of work and out of homes).
Don't stress about it. The unspoken rule for some people is that anyone whose lot in life is better than their own is automatically part of the problem.
Let's go one better-- just about every politician has at least two homes considered residences-- why not call on them to open even just some of their multiple houses to the homeless? Also, most politicians own multiple rental properties-- let's force them offer their real estate holdings as subsidized housing? Or if that's too invasive, how about instead of expensing 10's of thousands ofndollars a year for office furniture and "business travel", they work from their homes ans use their exisitng MS Office suite licenses to meet virtually, where the system can automatically transcribe the meetings and interact with Copilot to produce quality meeting notes/follow up? These problems were large created by greedy politicians-- the onus of solving them shouldn't fall to random residents and taxpayers.
Well… the capital gains tax is a good start on that
No amount of housing is going to help someone who's just going to trash it...
Yeah, as someone who's seen the state of absolute disrepair of social housing units, and who has friends and family who have done Reno work in these similar houses, it's a fucking disaster how people treat social housing: punching a hole in the drywall next to the lazy boy as a second trash can because the one under the sink is too far, having a "poop room" for the dog because they don't want it to go outside (it's seldom cleaned, if ever), or just casually smoking crack inside the house with the kids, and throwing a fit when the supervisor asks them not to smoke it while the work crew is there. The poop room was of my own (awful) experience, the other ones came from friends of contracted Reno firms. Social housing is critical for low income people, but it comes at an immense long term maintenance cost because people who are given something like that for free or super cheap will treat it like garbage.
Ugh I am so sorry you had to experience the aftermath. I think as a society we need to work on social values on how we treat public property. In other countries people respect their social infrastructure. Over here it's an attitude of it being owed to you and having the right to abuse it.
I mean, you are assuming the residences they own are Empty currently, yes? During the lowest vacancy market we've ever had with the highest immigration we've ever had? Politicians must forcibly eject or evict anyone living in their homes including themselves so homeless people can move in? I understand your emotion, but this doesn't have toes let alone feet or legs to stand on as an idea.
This is ridiculous, how many homeless have you opened your home up to and lodged?
Who's the party that's gonna do that?
Run as an independent. We need more independent politicians
perhaps many of them could start paying a living wage.
Many of them do. But I guess its better for them to shut down and then the centre can have more "business". Or perhaps the centre should work with the local community and police and you can stop blaming small mom-and-pop shops for a much larger social problem. Or are you under the impression that all of the local stores are big conglomerates? Let me disabuse you of that notion. Most of the stores are small shops run by local folk just trying to make ends meet.
In fairness.. government has not proved itself to be effective or fiscally responsible enough to be given more tax dollars. Give them an extra few billion and it will mostly be eaten up by bureaucracy and growing administration.. There is no easy solution, there may not even be a solution.. I’m not saying we shouldn’t try, but that as a society we need to change, and that it’s the people who need to want that change and willingness to sacrifice the type of lifestyle many have now.
In fairness the government has proven that it has the capacity to effectively run many programs and effectively use tax dollars depending on the program. It's about who you have in office and their priorities.
We need to fix how we waste money, so we don’t waste money.
Look to the Scandinavian countries and models that are working. Elect people who espouse that type of policy. If you can't find them, run yourself.
Yeah sure…. But Houston said he’d pave roads *outside* of the HRM!!! He’s got my vote! /s
Same issue in Sydney. Since they put the homeless shelter and safe drug site here, the place has gone to hell. Stabbings, overdoses, having sex with each other in the middle of the streets.
Was just in Sydney for work. Stood out that so many people just hang around the vicinity doing drugs in public.
The safe drug site has been there for 20 years, it used to be the AIDS Co. Downtown used to be sketchy back then too. It's just come back around thanks to the lack of housing and services
It's no worse than it ever was. In fact as someone who grew up in Glace Bay it's a hell of alot better than it was. These people have problems they need help and you just say fuck the places that help them I don't like looking at them. Your a horrible human.
Firstly I don't think my initial comment said anything about talking these places down. I just pointed out that these places being on central locations has caused a lot of issues. Local businesses have to put up with these people stumbling in and out of their business. People getting stabbed in the middle of the streets. People passed out drunk everywhere. They talked about moving a lot of them to pallet homes in the pier and the residents flipped out. Yes. They have a problem. But they do nothing to help themselves for the most part. Some of them are genuine people who fell on hard times. Others are just typical street criminals who are playing the system. And since you're on high horse, learn the difference between your and you're. Your education growing up was free.
I don't like looking at the needles they leave in the parks for the kids. Those are the terrible humans, fuck them.
This what I mean get people into the safe drug sites and the needles won't be in the parks. "But let's get rid of the safe sites cause I don't like em" The answer is helping them but you people just want to complain.
I don’t think this is what anyone is saying. Did you even read the article? Crime and violence IS increasing. It’s not an “idea” or something locals are making up. Do these help centers really need to be located in downtown areas? There needs to be some sort of happy medium where people are able to get help while keeping everyone else safe simultaneously.
First I did read the article, wasn't referring to the article. Did you read the comments above? I am speaking about Sydney and the crime is not higher here now, especially if your go back 20 years. These things do need to be downtown because that's where the people that need help are. Crime and violence are not isolated to the homeless and those in need. Domestic violence is on the rise those numbers are included in these statistics, but do they mention that? Will closing these place help that? This article is biased to begin with so let's not start asking did I read the article.
So you didn’t read the article. Got it. Domestic violence is on the rise, sure. They aren’t included in these stats. You just decided to make that up I guess. The article clearly reads that crime levels are up in this localized area and has required more police attendance. Why can’t we admit that this group of struggling people are more prone to crime/violence? It’s a fact, not an idea. It doesn’t help either party pretending it’s not.
How about people take personal responsibility for their actions and don't leave needles in the park, like a fucking asshole.
Wish the cops and justice system would do their job to rid the streets of hard drugs
Absolutely. People need to be held responsible for their actions. Being a victim of whatever they're a victim of, doesn't give them the right to victimize others.
LOL they can't even keep drugs out of prisons, which are relatively small environments they completely control. Not sure how you imagine they would be able to stop street drugs.
I care about them exactly as much as they care about me. So yeah, fuck them and fuck you too.
Having sex with each other in the middle of the streets?!?!?!? That sounds like they're competing to win a Darwin's Award - see r/DarwinAwards or r/DarwinAward
I'll take Things That Didn't Happen for $500, Alex.
I don't know about NS but someone posted a video of two people having sex on a downtown Vancouver sidewalk, maybe the entrance to an alleyway, two, three years ago and filmed a police car pulling up and the cops getting out, one holding his arms out in a "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?!?" gesture.
DT Vancity is absolutely within the realm of imagination for this. Sydney, NS? Not so much.
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The sheer hypocrisy it takes to essentially say, '"I'm here because I need assistance, but other people who need assistance need to go somewhere else".
Right? It's astounding, the lack of awareness they're displaying by saying these things.
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They're physically coming in and taking over your home now? Or you don't like that the place that's seemingly been set up for at-risk resources for several years now under one guise or another has continued to do so now that you moved in upstairs?
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They don't seem to have been angry enough to speak with the media. What was the response they got from their councillor? By all means, please be the exception to the rule here and tell us about what they've done beyond employ every stereotype on the board in their 3rd party complaints online.
For the record, the reporter was preparing for her piece AS the police were on site arresting a couple of folks. The reporter moved in AFTER this was all done. You'll note that wasn't mentioned in the article. She also didn't mention that the police had been on site the two previous days arresting people on both of those days as well. The locals knew about this, but somehow the reporter didn't get the memo. Odd the things that *didn't* make it into the article even though the reporter witnessed the event. Almost like she might not necessarily have written everything she saw or was told. The reporter wasn't on site that long. Its not like she went to all of the various local shops and residences to see what they thought. Perhaps if the reporter had reached out to folks who were busy working, or if they had been informed that there would be a reporter on site then they could have registered their displeasure with recent events. The article you read is a tiny sliver of what is going on, and certainly wasn't the deeply researched piece that you seem to imagine it was.
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You know jack about me, my experiences or what I know. I at least challenged my own assumptions and asked you direct questions about what the resident you know has done beyond let you off leash so you could hyperbolicly clutch your pearls but you've continued to avoid answering. Retribution? From whom? What are you even talking about? Real life is absolutely complicated but it's not the gang-banger fiction you seem to be implying it is.
Sounds an awful lot like NIMBY-ism. We have a homelessness crisis. It’s not going to get better without helping people.
Well, no one wants violence and drug use in their backyards. So, if you are going to have a place which supports the homeless, you should also ensure it is monitored adequately so families renting in close proximity do not feel threatened.
It’s on the main business street in Bridgewater (and it is monitored), where exactly is a better place? Keep in mind this is RURAL NS. Transport options are limited. The fact is this is a social/health issue. It won’t get better by putting resources in places that are inaccessible but socially palatable.
I would sincerely like to know more about the monitoring. Aside from the recent burst of police activity over the last week, I have not heard of any such monitoring. I heard tell that some cameras have gone up this week, but you seem to be indicating something was happening earlier as well.
Could put it on the other side of the river like behind the mall. The bottom floor of an apartment building doesn’t seem great.
The mall is up for MASSIVE renovations over the next years, which includes completely fixing up "behind the mall" to make that actual usable nice space, instead of the disaster of a waterfront that exists right now. Apparently there will be apartments in the upper floors in this renovated waterfront. The bottom floor of the apartment building was unused, and in theory is a fine place. There is nothing wrong with helping the unhoused become part of the community, and there isn't necessarily a reason to push them to the periphery or shove them behind some unused space. The issue is the associated violence and criminal activity -- this could certainly be alleviated with appropriate controls and policing.
No? It’s been there for literally years in some iteration. The John Howard Society is just the first group to offer actual services as opposed to lip service.
I don't blame people for being concerned in every big city these type of centres attract the worst possible people. It's really a slap in the face when an elected official says people shouldn't immediately blame the homeless for increased crime when the crime didn't exist before they got there or when it's too cold for them to be a nuisance. Almost all the homeless can associate their current situation to their drug abuse problems, till those are addressed there's no point in housing, centres like these, or any other facility designed to work with people who are looking to get off the streets.
I live 5 minutes outside Bridgewater. King Street has gone downhill into a strip of payday loan shops, weed stores and tattoo parlors. Sometimes it looks like a scene from a zombie movie with hobos and stumblebums everywhere. Retail stores have fled the area and setup across the river. It’s a real shame.
Haha you act like this just happened? The mall and other stores have been across the river for decades, and Walmart/CTire centre has been there at LEAST 15 years.
This is wildly inaccurate. King Street has had a huge boom of amazing new stores and restaurants show up over the last couple of years. There are two payday loan shops that have been there as long as I can remember, there is one "weed" store that doesn't even sell weed, it's a bong shop, and two tattoo shops. There are two microbreweries, there are like seven restaurants if I'm counting correctly, two parks, and many odd shops. Your focus on what you persevere as bad is the reason you think it's "gone downhill". Personally I haven't seen King Street thriving this much in my 35 years in this town.
Also, to note, tattoo shops are locally owned and operated businesses. Does more for the local economy than another Tim hortons filled with tfw.s
Yes, this!!
Major retail stores have all left. There are four pizzerias and a bunch of small shops intermingled with abandoned buildings (Bank of Montreal Gows etc etc). There is a vacant lot with weeds growing in it. The River pub is good way down at the end as is the Italian place. Thats it IMO.
"The Italian place" couldn't be any more centered on King Street. You're missing a FEW of the restaurants. Fancy Pants, River Pub, Ellen's Korean BBQ, Rascals Burrito Bar, Jac's Burger and Shakes, South Shore Homestyle Nosh, La Casetta, Ko's, South Shore Deli, IOS Pizza, Pizza Pizza, Jessy's Pizza. I don't know what "major retail stores" you're talking about, unless you're going back to the 80s, King Street hasn't been home to major retailers in a very long time, outside of Gow's Home Furniture. I can't imagine living with your perspective, it must be painful.
I agree. I have taken my family there several times. It is a diamond in the rough of King Street. I do stand by my comments, however. King Street is a bleak, depressing shadow of its former self, even worse is the formerly grand Pleasant Street immediately behind King Street.
this is literally not true
Why do the councils let so many pawn shops, weed stores and loan stores setup? Those stores are part of the problem.
There's one pawn shop in town, and the only weed shop is the NSLC.
Was a general comment. I see so many towns with weed shops and pawn shops and payday loans everywhere. Then nothing else around. It’s terrible.
Its illegal for private businesses to sell weed. If you want to buy weed in Bridgewater you should go to the NSLC. There is no store on King Street that sells weed that I know of.
Sorry - forgot NS has that setup. Out here it’s almost like Timmy’s but with weed stores. Brutal.
We need to tax the families that make homeless and addicted people. Addiction is not a choice. It's forced on you to deal with trauma and poor mental health. Until we make everyone in an addicts life responsible for the outcome, nothing is going to change. We see it clearly in the NIMBY attitudes in the sub. I wonder how many people here complaining have made the addicts they're complaining about.