Maclean's takes 2nd look at struggling Regina neighbourhood

Maclean's magazine is not backing down in its appraisal of Regina's North Central as the "worst neighbourhood" in Canada.

Earlier this month, Maclean's writer Jonathan Gatehouse wrote an article that examined North Central's severe social and economic problems.

Reaction in Regina to Gatehouse's piece was split, with some saying the article fairly portrayed reality while others thought it was a hatchet job on a struggling area.

Mayor Pat Fiacco took particular offence to the article and two headlines in the magazine.

"It tore the heart right out of them like it tore the heart out of me," Fiacco said earlier this week. "You don't do that; talk about the facts but talk about the success stories."

One headline read "The Worst Neighbourhood in Canada" and the other "Rotten Regina."

Earlier this week, Maclean's assigned a second reporter to Regina for a followup on the reaction to the story.

Journalist Colin Campbell met with provincial, civic and community leaders including Fiacco, and allencouraged him to write about more positive developments in North Central.

However, in his article published online Thursday, headlined by a quote from a resident "It's not the worst neighbourhood" Campbell challenges the upbeat picture painted by those leaders.

The article covers teenage prostitution, gangs, crime, "extremely bad" housing and the reaction to the first article.

Campbellended his article by sayingthe conversationin Regina was "morefocused onwounded civic pride than real solutions to North Central's daunting problems."