Police presence is a near-constant sight in downtown Nanaimo, with increasing violent crime and social disorder stressing local businesses and available healthcare support. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

combined approach

‘We’ve had enough:’ Nanaimo group leads new B.C.Coalition demanding social disorder action

Oct 30, 2023 | 11:00 AM

NANAIMO — Messaging delivered locally for years is now getting a considerable injection of support from major businesses in B.C.

Members from the Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association (NAPSA) were front and centre helping to spearhead a new provincial group demanding change from provincial and federal governments on social disorder, mental health and addictions, and criminal justice reform.

Kevan Shaw, a director of NAPSA, said the newly formed SOS: Save Our Streets coalition brings together community safety groups, chambers of commerce, business associations and major corporations such as London Drugs and Save-On-Foods.

“A huge province-wide coalition of major associations, businesses, organizations that like us in Nanaimo have had enough. We’ve had enough of the increasing social disorder, the fires, the break-ins, the shoplifting, the assaults that are plaguing our areas that were once very safe communities.”

The group held an introductory news conference in Vancouver on Monday, Oct. 30, demanding action on multiple levels to restore safety in communities across B.C.

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In addition to NAPSA, London Drugs, and Save-On-Foods, other members include B.C. Chambers of Commerce, Retail Council of Canada, Vancouver Board of Trade, 7-Eleven, Sobey’s, Restaurant and Food Services B.C., Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, and Rexall.

The formation of SOS comes after years of escalating, and at times random, violence in many cities including Nanaimo.

Stabbings, shootings, assaults and fires have proceeded at a rampant pace in the city, linked with a growing drug toxicity crisis and increasing stress on the available mental health services.

Shaw said he hopes the Coalition, of which NAPSA is a member, can push things in the right direction.

“We are going to work with the government, tell the government ‘you have to change your policies, they are not working. You come up with these big lavish news conferences and you claim you’re going to do this, this and this, and then we don’t see anything’.”

Shaw added more challenges on area streets is evidence enough the current direction of the provincial and federal governments on a number of issues is not working.

He said NAPSA has long called for the creation of more complex care facilities for those battling mental illness, detox centres for those struggling with addiction, and criminal justice reform to handle repeat, violent offenders.

Vice-president of the NAPSA Karen Kuwica was at the news conference Monday morning and said Nanaimo is currently in an “extreme social crisis”, as the growing community tries to cope with issues surrounding mental health, addictions, and the ongoing housing crisis.

“We have repeated violent offenders living in plain sight, rather than in care or custody. People can no longer presume they are safe as they go about their daily life. Anything can happen, and being constantly aware comes at a cost, both psychologically and financially.”

Kuwica went on to say that violence and crime are symptoms of a larger cause, and reformed social policies aimed at restoring civil society are the only way to treat both the causes and effects of these issues.

In addition to increasing awareness about these issues, the Coalition wants to establish a set of measurable results to provide statistical evidence to show if communities are getting safer or not, according to a news release.

The provincial government has made several attempts in recent years to tackle many of the issues outlined by the Coalition, with mixed results.

Additional treatment beds and other healthcare facilities have been announced, however, construction and industry capacity has struggled to keep up with demand.

In April, the province announced Nanaimo would be one of a dozen hubs for a repeat violent offender initiative.

It’s designed to ensure an offender’s criminal history is more easily available to prosecutors and judges, increasing the likelihood some offenders would remain in custody during their process.

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