Violence In Osborne Village and Business Closures

Osborne Village isn't the only neighbourhood experiencing violence but it is the one with the highest density population in the city and the one mostly likely to see business flee and residents next. Already Unique Bunny and Starbucks have cited crime for closing. On a weekend a few weeks ago around 9 PM, a man was found unconscious after an attack right near Shopper's Drug Mart. It was dusk when many people were still out and about.

A series of violent incidents and closures have left Osborne residents nervous. All of this is happening with street patrols present. However, the patrols are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of incidents and how widespread they are. It appears the Village is the recipient of these type of outbursts fairly frequently. But then again the entire city seems to having a steep rise in all sort crime.

It was a particularly bad weekend of fires, many arsons that kept police and fire on the go. Some valuable long term businesses that local residents use were either lost or threatened by fire. It was a weekend of endless sirens. In one case, a long term convenience store was a total loss. In another, a discount store was almost lost. Were they both arsons? At the moment they are being investigated.

The main reason given for the violence is the hardcore drugs, poverty and homelessness that has blown up all across North America in the aftermath of the pandemic. Some of this was becoming a problem even before 2020 but is has been compounded by adjustments to the economy everyone is making in terms of working from home and the slow scaling up of many businesses such as restaurants that are still not back to capacity.

It is very easy to squeeze the toothpaste out the bottle but a lot harder to get it back in. This is the pandemic aftermath of people still working from home, others who retired early, inflation that still hasn't let go and economic uncertainty. Mental issues abound. Some people are adrift which has led to addictions problems and chronic unemployment and lack of housing.

Osborne Village was called one of top neighbourhoods in Canada in the not to distant past and it could be again except security has to be raised for that to happen. Affordability in the area has dropped as small apartment units have disappeared in favour of luxury units and condos. Winnipeg is just a shade under what Edmonton's housing costs are and that is not good considering the wages are much lower here than there. The result is a lot of people cannot afford homes.

There are strong correlations on affordability and homelessness, poverty and addictions. All three levels of government have made a commitment to all sorts of housing going up this year but it a long process of gearing up. Approvals take forever, interest rates have affected budgets and supply chains are still struggling. Meanwhile, a number of people have fallen off any support system. The province is paying for overtime for police units to deal with the surge in crime.

The commercial strip along Osborne is getting a mix of new residential and commercial units. However, hundreds of residents in proximity to the latest attack shows that some people are not stopped by that. The drugs out on the street leave many in such a zoned out way that impulse control is lost. In other words, no shop or residence can afford to not keep doors locked and monitored. Step out of your place and you could be vulnerable. Even in your home, you might be vulnerable since arsons are everywhere.

The permanent closure of Starbucks for safety reasons is terrible. While not specifically stated, the open doors of their business as well as their washrooms meant staff felt and were facing increasing issues with security. Businesses like pharmacies and groceries with open doors are facing massive shoplifting issues that have only accelerated this past year. Not just here but everywhere. Big stores are reducing the amount of entrances to their business. Many stores are getting rid of self-checkouts and identifying it as problem area. 

Small businesses often require a knock on the door to get in. They never had self checkouts but layouts of stores not keep better sightlines. And no public washrooms. It is likely only increased security, changes in society and a more full court press on crime will help reduce the violence and property loss. The move by liquor stores to go to ID only entrance was able to stop the epidemic of violence and loss of goods inside. The cannabis stores never had to go through this because they had security built into their initial unveiling. A Safeway is not likely to ask for IDs. But it is entirely possible they set up more secure areas as they do with pharmacies. Stores in Britain and the U.S. are using bodycams for security. This could prove useful for identifying violent events and the people responsible.

The slow walking of actually approving housing developments puts pressures all along the system. It really can't take ten years to approve housing. Today's housing projects are likely the affordable housing 20 years down the road. The longer it takes to approve, the longer people have to wait. Meanwhile in that ten years houses are being lost simply due to age in some cases. It is worth mentioning this because the Osborne area has had people living on the riverbanks or various areas nearby the last few years. For many decades some of the most affordable housing was in the area. For Osborne to be safe or anywhere in the city for that matter, it can't have homeless desperately living through winters. Add to that struggling with medical, mental and addictions issues and you have communities that area struggling.

Unlike previous recessions, post-pandemic around the world has changed much about how we organize ourselves, work and look to have a civil society. Osborne Village will recover but much has to change. However, we are likely to see more store, restaurant and office closures before a handle is gotten on decline which is being seen here and many other places.