Yeap. I grew up in and around vancouver, in the 80's it was great, in the 90's it was great, even in the early 2000's although it was just starting to turn then.
When there's no consequences to things like sleeping on the sidewalk and tent cities etc, when you're practically encouraged to keep doing drugs that are dangerous, when someone can commit 100 serious crimes and still get out the next day if he commits another, then this is what happens.