No, actually I have never seen anything like that. As I was driving through that part of Vancouver earlier this year, I saw among many other scary things, a football field. The homeless, people with mental problems, and the drug addicts were lying all over that field, in random places. There were also piles of garbage on that field. Further down the street, one could see hookers, beggars in wheelchairs, and some scary-looking people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Eastside#Problems
"The southwest corner of Main and Hastings Streets continues to be a problem as drug sellers and users frequently occupy the corner, establishing a plein air drug market in front of (and in the alleys surrounding) Carnegie Hall. ...
Used syringes and condoms on neighborhood sidewalks are becoming less common due to the efforts of United We Can a charity organization that offers local people jobs cleaning up the streets each morning. However, Graffiti remains common on buildings and walls and most DTES alleys are regularly used as makeshift toilets."
But, the good news is that the neighbourhood that is just a 5 minute drive west of that place is a very nice area, with outdoor cafes, tourists, etc.
