NANAIMO — A nuisance property designation is being considered by the City of Nanaimo in response to a controversial south end drug consumption site.
During a Monday, Dec. 5 council meeting mayor Leonord Krog confirmed Council requested staff to consider designating the cost recovery option for 264 Nicol St., home to NANDU (Nanaimo Area Network of Drug Users).
Krog’s statement followed three delegations in which various concerns about the Nicol St. property were laid out.
Collen Middleton appeared before council on behalf of Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association, who said the provincial health order allowing the site to operate is flawed.
The south end resident said their newly formed advocacy organization of 185 members are united in their concerns about public safety, pointing specifically about the impacts widespread toxic drugs are having.
“And we won’t sit idly by as our families and our home’s safety and security are under assault,” Middleton said during an impassioned five minute presentation.
Collen Middleton credited the City and Nanaimo RCMP for having an open line of communication regarding local concerns of social disorder issues in the south end. (City of Nanaimo)He said harm reduction services operating without formal public health oversight has led to a severe lack of accountability at the NANDU site.
“(It’s) allowed drug user groups to appear wherever and whenever they are able to secure a lease agreement without notice, public consultation or courtesy.”
Mayor Krog stated the City continues respecting the provincial ministerial order allowing the NANDU service to operate.
NANDU project coordinator Ann Livingston told NanaimoNewsNOW the potential for fines to be issued against their site is a “hostile escalation” by the City.
“To have now the mayor to come with all guns blazing ‘we’re going to take out NANDU that evil little bastard in this town, NANDU that’s the trouble in this town,’. He’s misunderstanding the whole situation and I assume he just doesn’t care.”
Regarding concerns caused by impacts NANDU clientele are having in the area, Livingston said similar issues existed before their service began.
She said while efforts have and continue to be made to address social disorder concerns, they require more funding to make that happen in a more meaningful way.
“We’ve manged to get a few other small grants, we’re staggering along. Everyone is going to keep giving us long lists if things we need to do properly, because then people would like us.”
NANDU project coordinator Ann Livingston addressing City Council on Nov. 21. (City of Nanaimo)This week a new overdose prevention site opened on Albert St. to serve both inhalation and injection drug users.
A lack of formal supervised drug inhalation services in Nanaimo was a key reason why the Nicol St. site launched this past March, Livingston has long acknowledged.
She hopes the Albert St. setting operated by the mid-Island branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association is successful and that NANDU clients find it useful.
“The model of how you do that will either cause very few of them to come or it will be much more of a welcoming atmosphere and they feel like they’re part of it,” she said.
Livingston said it’s unclear how long their Nicol St. site will continue operating as is, pointing to the need for sustained funding and assurances of land.
NANDU has several hundred members belonging to the peer-led drug consumption service featuring a pair of large tents erected on Nicol St. near Farquhar St.
Numerous complaints have been made from local residents and business operators in the area about negative impacts caused by people using the service, including fights, loud after-hours music and people spilling onto nearby private properties, an adjoining alley and Nicol St.
The property currently also houses a large RV, office and numerous vehicles behind a partially concealed chain-link fence.
Livingston said NANDU serves roughly 200 drug users daily, emphasizing there have been no fatal overdoses there.
Local news. Delivered. Free. Subscribe to our daily news wrap and get our top local stories delivered to your email inbox every evening.
ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes
