I believe having a healthy functioning, vibrant downtown will help with tourism and bring economic benefits. Most downtowns have independent businesses which help support local families and local community. Our downtown is unique as it is adjacent to the ocean walk way and Maffeo Sutton Park. These are great places for tourists and locals to enjoy. We have a great restaurants, unique gift stores and clothing stores downtown most owned by locals. I think with the move to urban nodes this may change the the number of people going downtown as we have seen in other cities such as Surrey, Burnaby, and Coquitlam.

Downtown is the heart of our city, a healthy functioning heart is very important to Nanaimo being healthy and vital

Agreed and recent work by the city on purchasing properties in the downtown area and the plans to develop Commercial street from the Jean Burns building to Dallas Square will transform the downtown and bring even more people to the area.

Take out the cars plant fig trees put out tables and chairs where people can happily socialize. Museum way is just plain stupid allowing cars to cruze thru . Put in small vendors local art anything but polluting demon cars killing the planet

We need to create incentive for the owners of empty commercial spaces to make them available to not-for-profits, artists and other creative endeavours. No more dead zones of empty space downtown.

Downtowns are the heart of a city, and Nanaimo is no different. The centrality of the downtown within Nanaimo’s ‘Hub’ with the conference center, historic Commercial St. and the Port Theater make it an ideal gathering space for the community to enjoy restaurants, cultural events and shopping. Despite historic development patterns that pulled commercial activity away from the city core, current challenges with homelessness and social disorder and undeveloped central sites, the underlying strength of Nanaimo’s downtown still attracts business and people. The downtown summer night market that saw thousands of people gather demonstrates the economic potential that a revitalized downtown core holds for Nanaimo. It is important to stay the course with current efforts to improve the area so that all of Nanaimo can enjoy the benefits of a downtown core that has realized its economic and cultural potential.

As a former Chair of Destination Nanaimo, I am campaigning for a transformed Nanaimo downtown that is a safe place to bring our children and an exciting place to bring visitors.

Nanaimo has an enviable location with two ferry terminals to Vancouver, easy access to Victoria, and is a stepping stone to the entire Island, with a beautiful harbor and stunning natural amenity.

But instead of being a Destination that is enjoyed, Nanaimo is a location that is passed through, feels unsafe for many residents, and lacks the vibrancy and attraction of other cities. While other cities like Kelowna have dramatically enhanced their downtown centres in recent years, Nanaimo has been left behind.

The downtown is the core of any city and needs to be revitalized. We must first address the crime issues and work with private business owners to create a welcoming downtown. I would like to see the waterfront a vibrant place with entertainment and buskers

Downtown is both the heart of the community and the centre of its commerce. This Council has invested $2.5m in downtown security, added additional funding streams for community events and supported the re-established the Downtown Business Improvement District and new downtown events, such as the Thursday Night Street Market.

That is why Downtown revitalization was a top priority for the City Councils I served on and led as Mayor.

Absolutely.

I think that every City Council in recent years has taken steps to try to ensure a vigorous and attractive city centre is sustainable. It is certainly my objective to make downtown vibrant, clean, safe and desirable.

Having a desireable downtown is important for tourism, small business, and the the Arts communities.

One of the reasons I ran in 2018 was to see improvements to downtown. Slowly but surely the improvements will come. We have consulted and planned for a new design for Commercial Street, Diana Krall Plaza and Terminal. We purchased the vacant land so we would not continue with the eyesore downtown and the old A&B building is now being repurposed, renovated and will once again be vibrant location in the near future. We are too beautiful, full of history, a working harbour not to be vibrant downtown. I have lived many places in the world and this little city is one of the most desirable places to live.

Downtown Nanaimo is a jewel and the process of revitalization needs to continue. Our downtown is a tourist attraction but it needs to be safe and vibrant to remain an attraction. Too many social services have been allocated to the downtown and south end areas and this concentration of services has created problems for the revitalization of the downtown core. The small businesses downtown need to be supported. Events such as the Night Market are important for bringing people downtown. I would support more events and activities such as festivals in the downtown core.

Yes, absolutely! We need to build office buildings with people living in the upper floors, we need more beautification projects for the sea wall and the port area. We need to make the most of our downtown, waterfront, business community and bringing more people to live and share in the cultural life of the area. We also need to do more to keep the area safe from crime and help our most vulnerable community members. We live in one of the most beautiful areas of the province but our downtown needs more help.

Absolutely! Just look at other communities (prior to the last few years) that had health, functioning and attractive downtowns…?? Haven’t they always attracted greater visitation and money spent? Take a look at Victoria, Banff, Whistler and other popular locales.
We have a GEM of a city!! Let’s bring it back to life. Let’s do more to make healthy. Let’s do more to make it functioning and attractive. It will take collaboration with many services and a variety of funding resources. Most of all, it will take the continuing support of the city and Council.

Yes and if we are able to succeed we can teach other cities. The mentality is that downtown is always dangerous in every city. I love changing an old thought.

Absolutely, downtown core is the heart of city.

Yes, the downtown is still the heart of our city. Also a huge draw for tourism, and connection to our fabulous waterfront.

The maintenance and upkeep of downtown Nanaimo will increase the overall appeal and community of Nanaimo.

And we are back to the issue of Crime and Homelessness. Downtown Nanaimo cannot be the heart of the City when Businesses and Residents are afraid to use it, particularly at night. Of course, a healthy and functioning downtown is critical to the success of a City. Nanaimo’s Downtown has the waterfront, the most attractive and distinct destination the City has to offer.

Downtown is where City Hall is located, the brain of the City. Downtown is where Nanaimo’s unique restaurants are. Downtown is where Nanaimo’s Night Life is (terribly curtailed and undermined by the omnipresent specter of Homelessness, Crime and Substance Abuse). Downtown Nanaimo is where all the Tech Companies the City should be attracting would want to locate.

So much Economic activity is generated when Successful Companies set up their offices in vibrant, and most of all, SAFE downtown areas. Nanaimo should have an incredible downtown, instead it has been kneecapped by the imminently solvable problem of Homelessness and Crime. It is time for Tough Love Nanaimo. Nanaimo is a City for Law Abiding Citizens first and foremost. If someone commits a Crime, they go to jail. If they have Substance Abuse problems, to Rehab. Solved.

This issue requires much more involvement from the Provincial and Federal governments as the City does not have the money nor resources to deal with the problems. Millions have been spent over the past 30 years trying to deal with the problems and we are in worse shape now as homelessness, addictions, mental health crisis, and crime continue to rise. These are issues the City cannot address alone. I believe the measures outlined in the Downtown safety action plan will help mitigate some of the issues.

I certainly hope the problems are solved sooner than later, more can and should be done in this area. People and businesses need to feel safe.

While I don’t think we do have a handle on the problems we are on track to work towards correcting them. The recent decisions to add CSO’s to our staff and the support they need to do there job will help. However we can’t do this on our own and at the very least we need 24/7 shelter to allow those living on the streets if they wish to move to a shelter away from the core that will have the services they need so that they don’t need to be in the downtown core. That is what we also need and without both we don’t have a handle on the whole problem.

There is much work to be done to provide shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness and reducing the associated impacts on neighbourhoods and businesses.

The city has done nothing to the downtown. I would start by powerwashing

I have hopes for the Community Safety Officers but we also need housing with integrated healthcare services for the homeless downtown and in other areas of the City too.

Although downtown Nanaimo continues to struggle with the challenges of homelessness and addiction, many indications point towards growing revitalization, despite the temporary setback from Covid-19. Past development practices pulled commercial activity away from the city centre and contributed to the current state of underdevelopment. There is a resilient group of downtown businesses that continue to attract commercial and cultural activity. This council increased its commitment to downtown by purchasing the old Jean Burns site to facilitate re-development, invested in a downtown community safety plan with the addition of twelve community safety officers and completed a downtown redevelopment plan to enhance its commercial appeal. There is also continued interest in developing multifamily residential units in the core and the new Marriott Hotel will soon be completed across from the conference centre. With the resurrection of the downtown business improvement association and the highly successful night markets, I believe downtown will continue improving.

The City needs to work with private business owners to create a plan to make the downtown more inviting.

The new Downtown Safety Plan provides us with the framework for addressing our challenges downtown. It’s been in effect for approximately two months and is already making an improvement for downtown business owners. The City has funded increased policing, bylaw and clean up operations and is working in collaboration with non-profits and island health to manage the challenges of the toxic drug supply. Getting a handle on this issue will take a lot more than a security plan, however, and we are in continuous discussions with the province regarding the relationship between lack of housing, growing mental health challenges and street level disorder. Over time, I’m confident we can turn the corner on this but the investment into housing and appropriate health services must come from the province.

Councils subsequent to 2008 have taken inadequate steps to maximize the potential the prior Council took to revitalize Downtown. Huge opportunities were lost due to the ego of subsequent Mayors.

We are on track, but we need more collaboration and input to bring about some of the needed changes.

We are all too aware of the difficulties faced by downtown residents and businesses. I can only repeat that the City is applying as many resources as it can find. The toll on our first responders is huge and they, as well, deserve that senior governments apply their resources to address the issue.

Much work to do in this regard.

Cautiously optimistic. If we can obtain the Navigation Center we were promised to identify and help those living the roughest on our street then we can make some movement. We collaborate with many service organizations and with the creation of the SPO ( systems planning organization ) we can support local providers with coordination and lessen duplication of services. Power of many working as one.

The problems in the downtown core continue to fester. There have been steps taken towards improvement but the larger issues of homelessness, mental health and addiction affecting the downtown need to be tackled in partnership with senior levels of government. The community safety officer program, bylaw and police can only move the problem around until the core issues are dealt with.

The federal government needs to enact criminal justice reform and create an alternative justice system. With reform, people with mental health and addiction challenges who are involved in criminality and social disorder would have a choice between prison or treatment, with a path and plan to improve their lives. This kind of model has worked in countries such as Portugal which has seen a reduction in drug abuse and associated criminality.

The provincial government declared that the opioid crisis was a public health emergency in 2016, but they have not been acting like it’s an emergency. The province is responsible for health care, including mental health and addiction, which are health issues. They need to be providing the necessary services and treatment beds.

They are doing the best they can but it’s a difficult problem and it requires a lot of work from our RCMP, the Province, city staff and the various groups working in the social service areas.
I think we are a long way from correcting the problems and I think we need to do more.

While there have been efforts made, but we’re losing the battle if in a poll it of residents and businesses to whether they felt safe walking alone downtown, 26 % said no and that was in the DAYLIGHT hours! 72% said they felt unsafe at NIGHT.
We have to get on track to putting more effort in using different programs and methodologies. Like the Auxiliary RCMP, as I had mentioned before. Or the ambassador program. Or tap our “Brain Trust”. Ask them what it would take to make them feel safer in the downtown. Go to the source!

They are trying. I want to take care of this city

Not seen any improvement.

I don’t think we have a handle on downtown problems, as evidenced by recent violent incidents. But we are working to correct them and take what measure we can to improve things. I also note that the Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association has been re-formed which is a positive step.

Nanaimo Businesses have to hire Security downtown at significant expense to try to curtail the vandalism and theft that is never ending. Nanaimo Residents are afraid to walk around downtown in the daytime and exponentially more so at night. Businesses have difficulty attracting customers or even retaining employees because Homeless people set up near the entrances to their place of work.

The Police are frustrated and disillusioned because they cannot do anything meaningful with Homeless people who are engaged in vagrancy and being public nuisances, or even worse committing crimes. This is not how to run a City.

This is the problem with Politicians with Progressive, Left Leaning ideologies of not wanting to impose on people choosing to live an “alternative lifestyle”, and believing that the path to bringing these people back into the fold is by enabling them with “safe injection sites”, and a small army of Bylaw Officers to clean up after them when leave an area in chaos and disarray. At the Tax Payer’s expense of course.

The City needs Tough Love for people who won’t abide by the Social Contract. If people commit crimes, especially violent ones : jail. If people have Substance issues : Rehab. Solved.

I do not think the Safety action plan is the answer to all of the issues in the downtown core. The community safety officers will be able to make connections with some of our street people however without beds or treatment facilities to place them in where do they go. I believe their presence will help people feel safer as these members will be on the streets immediately to help deal with issues and de-escalate some of the problems. Increasing the clean teams and having the parkades cleaned up on a more frequent basis will also be helpful. I believe added growth and density to the downtown core will be critical to help people feel safer as the more people that are out and about the safer people feel.

the action plan is a very good idea but enforcement and action needs to be more evident to the public

I think my comments above refer to this question as well. The DNSAP is only one part of the solution. We need other parts to really bring it home.

More upstream solutions and approaches are required to make meaningful and positive strides forward.

I don’t want to see uniforms with guns patrolling the streets have better lighting and security at night

I think it will help. More information can be found here https://paulchapman4counci.wixsite.com/paul-chapman-for-cit

The downtown safety plan can not operate in isolation from other health and housing initiatives to help people off the street and into the proper care, but it is a very actionable and realistic plan that will help create a safer, more prosperous downtown. The central part of the plan is the addition of twelve new community safety officers that will patrol the downtown town to assist struggling people to access services, and liaise with businesses and the RCMP to ensure public safety. In addition, there are two more city sanitation ‘clean teams,” downtown ambassadors, increased parkade cleaning and modifications to public spaces to improve public safety. The added personnel and programs downtown will lead to a noticeable improvement.

The Downtown Nanaimo Safety Action Plan fails to place a higher priority on working with community groups that actively deal with homelessness and safety issues downtown. As a previous voluntary board member of community groups that deal with homelessness, drug and mental health issues I would like to see the City leveraging and supporting these groups knowledge and proven effectiveness.

In conjunction with efforts around housing, health care, economic development and tourism, the downtown safety action plan is just one piece of the puzzle for ensuring we have a thriving downtown.

Part of it are practical and would benefit Nanaimo. Many parts are wishful thinking.

The Plan provides an environment for progress, but safety everywhere in Nanaimo can only be assured if we get the application of resources to address the causes of our problems from senior governments. Nanaimo cannot resolve a national mental health and addictions crisis!

This plan needs a serious relook.

Too early to see final results. I am downtown daily, as I live in Harewood and have started to see the benefits. Cleaner streets, more boots on the ground providing safety and security. I am hopeful as it has been an expensive plan but was absolutely necessary.

The Downtown Nanaimo Safety Action Plan is only one part of the solution. We will not see real progress until senior levels of government take serious action on health care for people with mental health and addiction issues, on housing people who are currently homeless and on criminal justice reform to deal with repeat offenders with alternative justice programs.

The federal government needs to enact criminal justice reform and create an alternative justice system. With reform, people with mental health and addiction challenges who are involved in criminality and social disorder would have a choice between prison or treatment, with a path and plan to improve their lives. This kind of model has worked in countries such as Portugal which has seen a reduction in drug abuse and associated criminality.

The provincial government declared that the opioid crisis was a public health emergency in 2016, but they have not been acting like it’s an emergency. The province is responsible for health care, including mental health and addiction, which are health issues. They need to be providing the necessary services and treatment beds.

Yes, in time but until we deal with the homeless community problems, the drug addiction and mental health issues and the crime that results from some of this, I’m not sure we’re going to make the headway we would have hoped for to have a more prosperous downtown.

How many of you know about the Safety Action Plan? How about Nelson Strategies who underwrote the plan? They don’t even show up on a Google search!! It involves hiring PAID Community Safety Officers (how many?), 2 Community Clean Teams (what??) and adding Downtown Ambassadors (great idea – paid or volunteer?) and increasing downtown parkade cleaning. Did you get all that? Oh, and yes, that’ll be $2.5 million. Hmmm….how about another approach?

Let’s empower the community and listen to them instead of going against them.

Inclusion of Public safety & security in Official City Plan is essential.

Yes, I think this is a good plan which will improve the situation downtown. Anything which provides added security for citizens, visitors, and businesses is a good and necessary move. People have to feel safe coming downtown or they will stop doing so and business will suffer. We need to do what we can to protect our local economy and make our residents feel safe. I think this is a positive step.

The Action Plan calls for the hiring of 12 Community Safety Officers, 2 permanent cleaning teams, downtown ambassadors, vandalism relief grant money, more parkade cleaning, parks ambassadors and more. The Plan will cost $1.5 million in 2022, $2.8 million in 2023, and $2.5 million in 2024 and beyond. This will result in 0.9 percent tax increase in 2022, and a 1.0 percent tax increase in 2023.

I loathe band-aid solutions to problems. Nanaimo needs Tough Love. People who commit crimes, especially violent ones, need to go to jail. People with substance abuse problems to Rehab. People with Mental Health problems need to be in Psychiatric Hospitals. We are a caring people, but we do not like to waste money on solutions which DO NOT fix problems, but merely alleviate symptoms. Reminds me of the Pharmaceutical Industry. They profit from “managing symptoms”, not from actually curing illness. Curing illness is not profitable long term.

By NOT effectively solving Nanaimo’s Homelessness and Substance Abuse problem, the Incumbent Council has created more City Staff positions, and MORE burden on Nanaimo Taxpayers. Safety Officers are toothless! All they can do is recommend services and ask someone to move along. Herding cats with feathers.

We have heard from businesses they do not want this to happen. Studies in cities of similar size have shown shutting down vehicle traffic in the downtown core has not worked. It can work in larger centres. Until we deal with the social disorder we will not see the improvement in people going to the downtown core.

I don’t feel that restricting traffic on commercial street other than on special occasions like farmers’ market, etc are required for downtown to be it’s best. We need to revitalize the area and make people feel safe going downtown not throwing up vehicle restrictions.

I don’t agree with that statement. The new plans we have for the downtown will result in some changes to commercial st but restricting traffic isn’t necessary to build a vibrant downtown.

Cars and people are not a friendly mix zooming by spreading.their poisen In to the air causing cancer and many diseases

I like the idea of some car free streets but would need to work toward understanding with the business folks in the area.

Restricting vehicles on Commercial St. is not required for downtown to be its best. Some special events may temporarily require restricting traffic, such as the downtown night market. However, with the proper re-design recommended in the downtown redevelopment plan, two-way traffic flow patterns can be maintained while improving pedestrian access and ease of movement.

I would like to see a dramatic transformation of the area around Commercial Street. Traffic restrictions (when done sensibly) can improve access and amenity.

This is an idea that is often tossed around but I’ve yet to see any actual data on what it could and should look like. What is the goal? How do the businesses feel? What is the cost? Until I have that information, I’m unable to contribute to the conversation.

Any time Commercial Street is closed to vehicles one half of businesses are opposed. Consensus is difficult to achieve.

If elected, I will be concerning myself with these consideration in a more detailed way to determine the best course of action.

I think that granting extra outdoor space to restaurants during the pandemic showed that extra protected pedestrian spaces can be beneficial.

Not a priority.

Vehicle access to Commercial Street is essential for the local businesses in the area. The current mix of parking and areas for outdoor patios for restaurants and cafes has been a positive change. Closing Commercial Street to vehicle traffic is only necessary for special events such as the night market, festivals and parades.

I’m not so sure I agree with this. I think Commercial Street is great and the traffic moves well. The shops in the area need traffic to support their business. However, I think the street events such as the night market was a huge success and everyone seems to enjoy it so closing the street for special events is a positive move.

Once the downtown is built up to a level where it’s thriving! But for now, to restrict it, is to constrict it for those who want to go there NOW! Why in the world would you do that?? No traffic, no business – no business, no stores and restaurants. Pretty simple.

I park downtown full-time. This has lead me to drive alot farther to go around into the parking lot. I dont know how effective it is. I might be biased on this one.

One way traffic would be a good idea as many people especially senior citizens with special abilities cant access businesses by walking everywhere on Commercial St.

There are times when stopping vehicle traffic on Commercial is beneficial, such as during certain festival and the downtown summer market. But this should be based on specific situations. For day to day operations, business owners on Commercial have said that they want vehicle traffic maintained in order to bring their customers to their door, and I support that.

I agree and enjoy Nanaimo’s downtown market, we need to look to increase parking within close proximity to the downtown area.

The Intersection of Commercial Street and Bastion Street has been turned into a Four Way Intersection with Stop Signs. This is ridiculous. Stop Signs are meant to control traffic in low volume intersections, a Four Way Intersection in a busy downtown core needs to have the adaptability and ability to control traffic volume inherent in the use of Traffic Lights. The Traffic Lights must be restored to this Intersection.

Once again, we are back at the Official Community Plan (OCP), Smart Cities and the goals of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to make cities Walkable, Bike Friendly, and major usage of Transit. By making streets in the Downtown area less conducive to vehicular traffic, the goal of making Nanaimo a more walkable City becomes more of a pressing reality.

But this does not represent the expressed will of the Residents. People want to drive. 99% of people drive to move around the City. Council’s responsibility is to determine how to make Downtown Nanaimo more conductive to smooth traffic flow with Vehicular traffic, not to increase restrictions. That said, simply by virtue of the growth of Nanaimo, eventually there will be limited Parking downtown, and people will need to walk.

I do not believe we can say this. We can say this is a strategy we are looking at and we will need to assess this over time. I believe the Community Safety officers are a step in the right direction as they are City employees and not subject to redeployment as RCMP officers are. We need to be careful we do not just displace crime to another area. I believe the CSO’s will make good connections with many of our street population but if there are no treatment centers, mental health supports, or housing options available where will they go. I believe having the CSO downtown will make citizens feel safer as they are there to immediately respond to issues.

People need to feel safe, so adding community safety officers is a good step to bring that to happen

This is a question that we will have to wait to see. The CSO’s are only starting next month. It’s going to take some time to see if we have hit the mark or that we have to tweak the plan. Personally I think we will have to tweak the plan.

I am looking forward to see if CSOs contribute to improved safety downtown.

This last year city and council have added an additional RCMP bike patrol to the downtown along with 12 new community safety officers that will be patrolling from 7am to 2am to assist with community safety. These additional measures plus the addition of downtown ambassadors are in the process of becoming fully operational and should lead to an increasing sense of safety. Of course, these measures will have little success other than displacing people if they occur in isolation from a larger health and housing response to homelessness and social disorder. This health and housing response is necessary for lasting results in terms of helping struggling individuals off the streets and into the appropriate type of care

This problem is at crisis level and we need to work with the provincial government to address this matter effectively.

It’s too early to tell but in speaking with downtown business owners, it’s already making a difference.

It hasn’t worked so far. More foot patrols and quick response are needed. Crown prosecutors need to get prolific offenders off our streets.

I have provided my views on this several times in this survey.

This plan needs a significant relook in terms of how we reimagine community policing and community support.

The city has improved the safety of the downtown core with the addition of extra bike patrols, the community safety officer program and ambassadors. These programs will not be successful in the long term unless issues at the root of the problem are addressed. We will not see real progress until senior levels of government take serious action on health care for people with mental health and addiction issues, on housing people who are currently homeless and on criminal justice reform to deal with repeat offenders with alternative justice programs.

The Mayor has made it clear, we need more RCMP officers to support Nanaimo and I agree with that but I also appreciate having Community Safety Officers and I do believe that will make downtown safer.

I’ll refer to my plan with Auxiliary RCMP and Ambassadors for our VIU Tourism Department along with Summer Student Programs. Increase VOLUNTEER community participation to keep costs low and effectiveness high. Go with those who WANT to do this, where their heart is in the right place.

Let’s find out! This is a very new thing.

With respect to Courts, what is the point in Cops catching offenders to produce them to court with charges and Court releasing them in which ever grounds (outdated judiciary)?

This is definitely a positive step in downtown becoming safer. I fully support the Downtown Nanaimo Safety Action Plan and the hiring of community safety officers. Is it adequate? Probably not, but time will tell. If additional measures are needed I will be interested in supporting them.

This will only work if employees are properly trained.

What Nanaimo needs is what all Progressive, Left Leaning cities need : to give Police back their teeth. Police in Nanaimo are disillusioned because they cannot make arrests that stick, which result in Convictions, which don’t prevent people from simply being back on the street in no time at all. Why bother arresting people, if you are even permitted to arrest them, when they are let go nearly immediately? Nanaimo is having a severe problem hiring more Police Officers, as is happening in all cities led by Progressive Politicians, because no one wants to risk their life, to try to serve Law Abiding people, and then discover they essentially have no effective ability to deter Criminal behavior.

Community Safety Officers are glorified Guidance Counsellors. Toothless. They can recommend the use of Services, and politely ask people who are Squatting or abusing Substances to consider moving along. This service is worth $50,000 an Officer? Really?

People who are abusing Substances or have severe Mental Health issues are not in a state of mind to respond to Polite requests. They need Treatment in the proper facilities. The City needs effective and decisive solutions to the issue of Vagrancy, not Feel Good gestures.

With the safety plan working as it is hoped to be, I can say “Absolutely!” Let’s revitalize downtown to a beautiful safe place for Nanaimo to be proud of.

It’s one of them but not the one. More people living downtown is another thing that is required. 700 units are coming to Wallace street and more are going to be built downtown. Adding Arts and cultural events are also necessary to create a vibrant downtown. Redevelopment, new people, more arts and culture are parts of the an overall plan that needs to be created and actioned.

This is a question that we will have to wait to see. The CSO’s are only starting next month. It’s going to take some time to see if we have hit the mark or that we have to tweak the plan. Personally I think we will have to tweak the plan.

Tourism is vital for our community, but it will suffer until we are able to curb the crime and social issues.

Let’s make Nanaimo the SKATEBOARD CAPITAL of the WORLD

We need to bring folks downtown while also dealing with housing and services for the homeless.

Bringing more tourism initiatives and events into the downtown core will improve the vibrancy and positive utilization of the space.

As a former Chair of Destination Nanaimo, what in fact is needed is a ‘landmark’ inner city attraction for tourism and revitalization of the downtown core. For many years, Bernie Dumas, former Chair of Nanaimo Ports Authority, has pointed to a ‘lack of quality attractions in Nanaimo that would entice operators and passengers to visit, citing Butchart Gardens in Victoria, wine tours in the Cowichan Valley and the steam train in Port Alberni.” For example, while we officially aim for 25 to 30 cruise ships to visit Nanaimo, we are achieving only 6. Each visit injects an estimated $150,000 into our local businesses, meaning jobs and revitalization of our city centre. So, instead of being a destination to travel to, Nanaimo is passed through and passed by. There is no more significant step that could be taken to the renewal of downtown Nanaimo than a destination landmark to act as a magnet for tourism, and a catalyst for private projects and investment to transform our downtown core. I have led similar renewals in the past, and will do the same in Nanaimo.

The City needs to work much harder to attract tourism and by working with the businesses we can find ways to do just that but first we need to help address the crime and homelessness issues.

Bringing people downtown is always a win; any initiatives which do that while promoting our beautiful city have my full support.

Make our City safe for citizens living here first, then visitors with come.

Tourism is important, certainly. When people come to visit Nanaimo, that reflects positively on city governance and raises the profile of the City. Local residents and tourists should have rich and positive experiences in the downtown core. But also, with tourism also comes trade and commerce opportunities. I would support improvements in close consultation with stakeholders.

You can’t force people downtown, but events like the Chamber of Commerce’s Night Market is encouraging people to visit and spend money. If the area is considered safe, businesses will invest and grow, the housing stock will increase further. More local residents will encourage more events that will attract people to the area.

Need to fix the problems so downtown is a safer place to be.

The Chamber Night Market is a prime example of this. As I write we have two events occurringI: International Jazz Festival in the Old City Quarter and Canada’s Play On Street Hockey. These type of events, along with many others throughout the year, create the “safety in numbers” ambience.

Tourist initiatives and special events improve the vibrancy of the downtown core but these initiatives will not revitalise the downtown in isolation. The Downtown Nanaimo Safety Action Plan is important to the success of the downtown and we need to deal with the root problems facing the community. We will not see real progress on downtown revitalization until senior levels of government take serious action on health care for people with mental health and addiction issues, on housing people who are currently homeless and on criminal justice reform to deal with repeat offenders with alternative justice programs.

Absolutely, the downtown core has terrific shops, the sea wall and harbour. We need to increase these tourism initiatives not just for tourists but all of our residents. It’s our favourite area of town for my family for walking. Let’s concentrate on making this area the most beautiful in BC.

Ye! We need to grow the vibrancy of the downtown. We need to support the downtown and that is best done through activities – fun things – special activities & events. Things that attract and entertain. Things that provide enjoyment and participation. Things that roll over to spending $’s in the downtown that grows the downtown that makes it a safer place that is well utilized!

Safety is number one. Taking care of people who live here is what’s important

Vibrant and busy downtowns do not have dead space, but we have a lot of that in our downtown core and it has to be addressed. We have significant potential and there are already great existing plans out there. We have revitalized parts of downtown before, lets keep moving. The Downtown Nanaimo Safety Plan focuses heavily on policing and cleanliness, but it does not focus much on the root causes of our issues. A visible policing presence may cause some crime to decrease and offer a sense of security to citizens and visitors alike, but it is just part of the answer.

In order for this to happen and for any events to be successful, the city has to improve safety in the downtown core and surrounding areas.

Yes we have to make downtown more alive.

What came first – the chicken or the egg? Will having more tourism events in the downtown bring about an improvment, or will improving the downtown safety situation bring more events. Both. Either way, the more events and tourism we can bring to our downtown, the better. More people living, working, and enjoying downtown is a good thing.

I agree with increasing tourism initiatives and events to improve the Nanaimo
Community but I do not believe it will correct the core issues in downtown.

If this question implies that the City needs to spend Tax Payers money on initiatives to increase Tourism and sponsor more Downtown Events OVER spending money to effectively and decisively deal with Homelessness, Substance Abuse, and Crime, then I wholeheartedly disagree. You don’t apply new paint on a wall that is chipped and peeling. You are merely wasting paint and money.

The City can think about spending money on initiatives to attract interest to the Downtown core once it has effectively dealt with the #1 Issue in Nanaimo bar none. Again, I am reminded of Progressive Cities, like San Francisco for example. The City is seeing a MASSIVE decline in Tourism because no one wants to walk down City Streets and have to dodge around human excrement while sightseeing.

San Francisco is known worldwide for many iconic locations, but people don’t want to leave their hotels, because they will see endless tent encampments, people using substances, or asking them for money. In San Francisco, users can do their drugs in public parks in front of children, and the Police can do absolutely nothing about it. This is an example of a City in DECLINE. Lawlessness. Anarchy. Nanaimo’s potential future.