This article presents a qualitative study of the collective imaginaries constructing the socio-spatial representations of the parties aff ected by the presence of marginalized people in public spaces in downtown Montreal and Quebec City. Through an analysis of the discourses in French-language print media between 1993 and 2012, we identifi ed three collective imaginaries, which we labeled as ecosanitary, democratic, and salutary, each one feeding a complex of specific socio-spatial representations. The purpose of this study is to provide an overall perspective of the ideological positions available to the parties involved.