NANAIMO — A volunteer run illicit drug advocacy service in the city’s south is facing increased scrutiny, led by highly concerned neighbours.
A pair of enlarged tents occupying a private lot at 264 Nicol St. just north of Farquar St. established in the spring, becoming home to a movement operated by Nanaimo and Area Network of Drug Users (NANDU).
While unsanctioned by the City of Nanaimo, it is legally cleared under a ministerial order enacted by the Ministry of Health when the ongoing drug toxicity public health emergency was declared province-wide in 2016.
“The Ministry appreciates the work of VIHA (Island Health), BC Housing and the Assertive Community Treatment Teams and Community Outreach Resource Team who currently use the NANDU site as a way to connect vulnerable people to a range of services,” a statement from the Ministry to NanaimoNewsNOW read.
The site, located in a mixed-use residential/commercial area, opened after $80,000 was made available through a provincial Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions program.
Our newsroom spoke to multiple people living in the immediate area to hear how the site is meshing with the community, but many did not want to be identified out of fear of retribution.
“If this was just a crack house it would be shut down. This is a drug house with an acronym. It is not up to the standards of a health care facility,” a concerned citizen said.
She stated the site has become more popular lately, with members of the NANDU community in various states of intoxication spilling onto the adjacent alley and onto Nicol St.
While the concerned resident supports harm reduction services, she said the peer-run service is missing the mark.
“I believe it should be done by the province properly, but instead they’re allowing these people in a way that I think is not responsible or safe.”
Another local resident, a business operator, said the concentration of people to the drug consumption site has many people in the neighbourhood concerned.
“I’m not sure this is the right place for it. There are family restaurants on either side. I know Dairy Queen has had to shut their bathrooms to the public now. Some of the businesses are suffering, mine included.”
The business owner credited NANDU volunteers with patrolling the area to clean up garbage and drug paraphernalia around its property.
A third local resident said she’s kept up due to yelling, fighting and partying at all hours of the night.
The woman, who has acute health issues, said she’s even been faced with intimation with NANDU members, stating she was told to “move along” while voicing concerns.
She said the critical mass the service has evolved into a disaster waiting to happen.
“They stumble out of there all high and stumble onto the highway. I’ve seen many big rig trucks go by and have to swerve to miss them….somebody’s going to get hurt.”
City of Nanaimo Manager Jake Rudolph said while the City has serious concerns about the site, they will respect the provincial emergency order enabling the service to operate.
“The City has been attending to issues in the area, we’re monitoring it, there have been informal conversations with representatives at the site at my level and conversations with Island Health about it.”
NANDU is headed by Ann Livingston, a longtime Vancouver based advocate of illicit drug users.
She said NANDU provides on-site overdose prevention services and advocacy in a supportive environment, estimating the organization has grown to the range of 300 to 400 members.
Livingston said a volunteer run service of this scale will lead to community conflicts given their shoestring budget.
“I find it almost embarrassing that we would do this much with such a small amount of money. And I don’t know of a properly run staffed one that doesn’t have neighbours coming after them with pitch forks and torches.”
Livingston emphasized Nanaimo had an illicit drug use and toxicity crisis long before their service opened locally.
She said what they are doing is improving the safety for local drug users.
“Chasing homeless people around with bylaw officers and jailing people who use drugs, so far that’s been in place for a long time and this is the results you get, what we’re simply trying to do is run a drug user group.”
Livingston acknowledged their group did not initiate formal meetings with neighbours because the process should have been dealt with at the municipal permitting stage, which she said the City had no interest in exploring.
An already-existing overdose prevention and supervised consumption site on Wesley St. provided by the Canadian Mental Health Association provides services injection drug users only.
The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions Services stated an announcement regarding a new overdose prevention site service in Nanaimo is expected soon.
Livingston said it’s unclear if the NANDU service on Nicol St. will continue after the new overdose prevention site opens.
According to the BC Coroners Service, a record pace of 37 people died in Nanaimo in the first six months of this year due to illicit toxic drug use.
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