This anti-panhandling ad in Calgary, Alberta, showing a homeless person shooting up some spare change, isn’t sitting well with the city’s top homeless shelter. “It’s far too dramatic on the negative side, and it’s unfair to roast everybody with that image,” says a rep at the Calgary Drop-In Centre. The Calgary Downtown Association disagrees: “It’ll make people think—the images are strong, because it helps to get the message across. This is a call to action for people to rethink their behavior when it comes to panhandling.” Another ad in the series shows a homeless man behind bars made of stacked change. That one reads, “Your sympathy keeps me on the street.” You can see all the ads here. Anti-panhandling ads are often controversial. San Francisco recently ran ads featuring Good Samaritan tourists making comments like, “Today we rode a cable car, visited Alcatraz and supported a drug habit.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd