City watching, building case to remove Nanaimo’s tent city as encampment grows
NANAIMO — As Nanaimo’s downtown homeless encampment continues to grow, the City is watching closely and building their case for an expected showdown in court.
Coun. Ian Thorpe, serving as acting mayor while Bill McKay is on vacation, said the City is gathering evidence of the impact the camp, dubbed Discontent City, is having on the surrounding community and adding to its case for an eventual application for a court-ordered injunction to remove it.
Thorpe called the situation a “balancing act,” acknowledging there’s no doubt Nanaimo has a deep-rooted issue with housing affordability and homelessness.
“I know I have seen emails in support of the tent city, which I understand. But I’m also hearing a lot of people very concerned about the impact this is having on the downtown area, on the Port Place mall businesses especially and the nearby residents,” Thorpe told NanaimoNewsNOW. “It’s an issue we have to address as quickly as possible regarding public safety and making sure our citizens feel safe and secure and our downtown is kept as a people-place.”