That is the name of this statue located in the Boyle Street neighbourhood of downtown Edmonton. This statue was unvieled in 1999 in an attempt to highlite the problem of homelessness in Edmonton. The Boyle Street neighbourhood is one of the poor areas of the city and has a high number of homeless people in the area.
It is located in the Mary Burlie Park which was named after an outreach worker in the Boyle Street Community Centre. The building behind the statue is the former Remand Centre which was used to house prisoners awaiting trial
I didn't realise there was such a problem in Canada. Thanks for the enlightenment, Brian. There was a wonderful speech by Glenda Jackson MP in Parliament last week during the Margaret Thatcher special debate - the Oscar winning actress highlighted the increase in the problem of homelessness in the UK as part of the former PM's legacy.
@olivetreeann Thanks Ann. The city has taken on the job of trying to eliminate homelessness in Edmonton. They seem to have taken on some great projects like providing more affordable houseing for people and some programs to help people get training so they can have a better chance at finding work and getting back on their feet
nice angle you took of this statue. the issue of homelessness is a very touchy one. many years ago when i used to volunteer, i interviewed 30 plus random homeless people. 25 of those preferred to live in the streets "because it's easier and better". a friend who works in social welfare for the city and deals directly with these cases said the rationale probably is because they get more money that way rather than when they have a 'permanent shelter'. there was a girl in my writing group a few years ago who wrote about living as a street kid in vancouver. she lived in the streets for more than 10 years for no other reason that she thought it was cool and the friendship she had with the people was (in her words) "awesome". she and those friends left home for that awesomeness. this is not to say though that there are people who are in the street and shelters because they are hard up. i personally know of one case.
