It’s hard to shake a bad reputation. Ask anybody who got drunk at their prom or streaked across the stadium during playoffs. So, it’s no surprise that New West still has a bad rep from the old days.
The 1980s and ’90s in this city were pretty rough.
The city was known as ‘Boozeminster’ – and, in fact, in 1987 the Royal City boasted 13,200 bar seats, or one for every three residents.
If you walked down Columbia Street during the ’80s and ’90s, you were almost sure to be stopped by a panhandler. Folks avoided being downtown at night, unless they were pub or club hopping. Leaving your car there overnight was an invitation for trouble.
The city was, at that time, still trying to recover from its life as a shipping terminal and drinking stop for a lot of hard-working blue-collar guys. It didn’t hurt that Labatt’s brewery was based in New West and there were several flop hotels around.
When the new SkyTrain stations opened, they provided fertile ground for drug dealers and, of course, a quick exit strategy for when the police arrived.
City politicos and influential city leaders decided to beef up the police department, change shifts around and put a lot of focus on the downtown area. Local businesses even tried a chit system where shoppers could give panhandlers paper coupons for coffee in an effort to discourage panhandlers and make potential shoppers feel like they were helping.
But it wasn’t until a couple of the old beer establishments bit the dust and new businesses moved into the area that things changed.
When condos starting being built and old buildings renovated for residents, you could really see what a difference people living in a neighbourhood make.
Fast forward to today, and the difference from two to three decades ago is dramatic.
But it is always a battle.
One homeless man recently created a cardboard bed in the doorway to the former Urban Man Cave store. He didn’t last long as it’s now being redone for a new business, but his presence reminded everyone who passed by that poverty is always next door.
You can still see drug dealers around the SkyTrain station, and not all areas on Columbia feel safe at night.
Has New Westminster come a long way? You bet.
But, as business owners suggest, it still needs to get its message out and keep working on social issues. It will take time and work to erase that old reputation.
