By Dominic Abassi

City watching, building case to remove Nanaimo’s tent city as encampment grows

Jun 7, 2018 | 6:24 PM

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.”

It’s been two weeks since the City handed out eviction notices, giving the people they deemed “trespassers” 72-hours to vacate the camp on City-owned land across from Port Place Shopping Centre. That did not happen and the camp has reportedly grown to more than 80 residents.

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Thorpe said tent city campers were warned about increased enforcement and ticketing for a variety of bylaw offences. A provincial fire safety order was issued last week over outstanding problems with several things deemed fire hazards.

“I recognize people are frustrated and they want this problem solved immediately. Unfortunately there is no quick solution…It will take time, it means following certain legal steps, documenting what’s happening in that area and proceeding through legal means to move towards injunction.”

Supporters of the camp have said it’s finally providing a safe place for Nanaimo’s homeless population to live without fear of judgement or being pushed from one park to another. They also say there are few other options.

“I acknowledge those people have their opinion. I think the overall view of Council is that piece of property is City land, very valuable City land that’s part of a gateway to our city from the south,” Thorpe said. “While we may have compassion for the needs of people who are genuinely homeless, having them remain in a tent city on prime downtown waterfront land is not the answer.”

Thorpe added there were no “serious” conversations about finding a new location for the tent city to set up.

As frustration over the camp grows, so does support, according to updates on Discontent City’s Facebook page.

“We are so thankful to be continuously receiving so many kind donations of food, water and clothing from this amazing community. What’s even more amazing is seeing those direct connections being made between so many community members and the residents of the camp…The camp has given the community an outlet for directly helping those who need it,” a recent post on the page said.

Another post urged people to call on the City to provide access to drinking water at the camp.

“Does anyone else think that our city might just not want the homeless crisis front and center in the public view, and want to break up groups and push people back into the shadows so they can keep pretending that the problem doesn’t exist or that it isn’t really as bad as it really is?,” said another post, claiming a large, hidden homeless camp near Woodgrove Shopping Centre is not harassed.

Camp organizers have maintained they look forward to defending their cause in court, whenever that day comes.

Council is expected to receive an update from staff and legal counsel during a closed meeting on Monday.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi