Barry Hornby was hired this summer to lead a specialized new unit of bylaw officers to improve safety and vitality in Nanaimo's downtown core. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

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New City employees tackling social disorder, assisting street entrenched

Aug 11, 2022 | 5:24 AM

NANAIMO — One final hiring remains to complete a new team of a dozen community safety officers (CSO) representing a significant City Hall investment to bolster enforcement and outreach efforts.

The bylaw officers highlight a new Downtown Nanaimo Safety Action Plan, approved this year and linked to an average of $2.5 million in annual funding centred on making the city’s downtown a safer, more inviting place.

The City’s manager of bylaw services Dave LaBerge told NanaimoNewsNOW around 100 applicants led to highly qualified new hires from a range of communities and backgrounds, including policing, security and social services.

“We’re going to get not only a lot of enforcement experience coming in but people that have an understanding of clinical outreach and the support services that are available in our community.”

Concern had been expressed as the action plan was approved earlier in 2022 about the number of positions the City would actually be able to fill.

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LaBerge said the first four officers began training last week, followed by several more new recruits in the coming weeks.

He noted the officers will primarily work in teams of three providing coverage seven days a week in ten-hour shifts beginning at 6 a.m and ending at 2 a.m.

Labege, a former longtime Nanaimo RCMP officer, said over the next six to eight weeks the CSO’s will split their days between a classroom training environment and the streets.

“You’re going to start seeing people in a full uniform presence starting to work the street and that’s of course what everybody downtown is waiting for.”

The team will provide both a proactive presence on foot, bikes and in a truck, while also responding to public complaints.

LaBerge said while their mandate is the downtown core bordered by Milton Streets to Comox Rd., the CSO’s will venture to other areas after the team gets established.

“We know that unsheltered populations and disorder occur everywhere in the city and to a certain extent I think these officers are going to be responsive as best as they can to other areas of the city as well.”

The newly hired CSO’s complement a downtown sanitation team which LaBerge stated is in the process of being doubled to four full-time staff.

He noted the CSO’s will be part of a layered approach to disorder issues, who will work closely with multiple other City, private security, emergency responders and social service partners.

The uniformed officers will remove obstructive items when required, LaBerge noted.

They will also have protective equipment, including stab-proof vests, and be trained in first-aid and how to administer the overdose-reversing drug Naloxone.

Barry Hornby was recently hired as the supervising CSO.

The longtime City employee spent nearly a decade as a bylaw enforcement officer — he’s well aware of significant increases in the number of unhoused people impacting the community, particularly downtown.

He said being visible and gaining the trust of people experiencing homelessness will be vital for their team.

“And find out why someone is currently homeless on the street or not getting services, a lot of people are not aware of services in Nanaimo, so it’s making those connections and we have those connections,” Hornby said.

He conceded there will be growing pains establishing how to maximize the effectiveness of the new CSO approach.

He said their staffing composition and hours of service can be altered while tracking metrics of their day-to-day tasks will be monitored to maximize their effectiveness.

“It’s all of these things that we learn in the first three to six months of where we can alter shifts, manpower, resources because this has never been done before, it’s a total new unit.”

Hornby pointed to several other communities in the province with similar mental health and substance abuse issues with newly implemented CSO positions, noting Nanaimo leaned on Maple Ridge to help launch its approach.

‘It needed to happen’
Downtown business operators have long called on additional support to address social disorder in Nanaimo’s downtown core.

A constant vocal voice has been Kevan Shaw, president of the Victoria Crescent Association.

While he emphasized the senior levels of government need to get serious in taking responsibility for addressing mental health and addiction issues, he applauded the City for trying to provide some relief.

He said a group of people constantly terrorizing downtown with crime and disorder impacts where people in Nanaimo spend their time and money.

“We have to protect them, they have to feel safe. I want families to come downtown and enjoy themselves,” Shaw told NanaimoNewsNOW.

He said allowing acutely drug-addicted and mentally ill people to roam free is cruel, suggesting mandatory treatment or institutional care for certain people would help them and society.

“We care about people with mental issues, we care about people with drug additions, but we can’t keep letting it go on and on and giving those that need help carte blanche to do what they want.”

In addition to more eyes responding to social disorder and assisting marginalized people, the new COS service is seen as an important mechanism in freeing up other strained front-line resources.

The City stated the new CSO personnel will earn about $76,000 annually.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes