An overdose prevention site on Albert St. is drawing renewed focus from some City Councillors, concerned of its impacts to the surrounding area. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

deferred

No decision on Nanaimo Council’s support for downtown overdose prevention site

Jul 29, 2025 | 10:30 AM

NANAIMO — The status of Council’s support for an overdose prevention site in the city’s downtown will be decided in the fall.

After Coun. Ian Thorpe moved for the City to request Island Health close the OPS at 250 Albert St., Councillors voted 6-3 to push any decision on the matter to the fall, once a meeting with the health authority, the public and other stakeholders can be arranged.

In bringing the issue forward, Thorpe said Monday, July 28, it was time the City took a stand on an issue which he claimed has severely harmed the community.

“The disorder on our streets is the result of failure to come to grips with drug use. The government experiment of decriminalization and normalization of open drug use and addiction on our streets, quite frankly, in my opinion, has been an abject failure.”

Thorpe said a similar motion was made by a Victoria City Councillor, highlighting similar issues as those experienced in Nanaimo.

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He added Council regularly hears from local residents, including as recently as last week, about the challenges of social disorder, open drug use and public safety in the community.

“All we can do is spend taxpayers money to put band aids on the situation. To move the drop in hub to another neighbourhood, or to build higher fences, or to hire more community safety officers, or to increase our cleanup crews. We don’t have the money, the resources, or in fact, the mandate, to treat the root of this problem, which is substance abuse and drug addiction causing mental illness.”

Opened in December 2022, the facility provides a supervised site for inhalation and injection drug users to consume their drugs, while offering medical intervention if needed.

Drug testing and other wraparound services are offered for people battling addictions.

NanaimoNewsNOW has reached out to staff at the Nanaimo OPS, operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association’s mid-Island branch, for updated data on client visits and services offered.

This article will be updated when a response is received.

The provincially regulated Nanaimo OPS is operated on behalf of Island Health.

Operators of the site promised an internal review in October after an RCMP investigation led to a substantial drugs and weapons seizure connected to the facility last September.

Support to immediately cease Council’s endorsement of the site was mixed.

Mayor Leonard Krog said opinions about the facility from those around the table would not overly influence its future.

“It is not and will not be our decision whether the OPS site remains open or closes or continues or disappears or gets improved or better funded. I see this in my view as a cry on behalf of the citizens of this community…about the whole issue of street disorder…that has impacted the citizens of this community for a very long time.”

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong said she wants to see different options presented by Island Health to address community concerns, while still providing badly needed services in community.

She floated the idea of mobile overdose prevention sites, which could help address growing numbers of people dying of toxic drugs in their homes.

“I’m not prepared to shut down something that we do know it does save lives, there’s absolutely no doubt. I do agree that the chaos around it can be very problematic. I just can’t, in good faith, shut something down without hearing from the operators, hearing from Island Health and knowing what other options are there.”

Armstrong led the push to defer any decision until a future community meeting, likely in the fall.

She was joined by Coun. Hilary Eastmure, Erin Hemmens, Janice Perrino, Paul Manly and Mayor Krog.

Thorpe, as well as Coun. Ben Geselbrecht and Tyler Brown voted against the deferral.

A time and date of a community meeting has yet to be decided.

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