By Spencer Sterritt

Downtown Nanaimo safety office to remain open, despite confusion over purpose

Sep 20, 2018 | 2:47 PM

NANAIMO — The doors will stay open at a downtown office meant to boost safety in the area, though it’s unclear exactly what the space will be used for.

Nanaimo City Council voted in favour of continuing funding for the Community Policing Office on Victoria Cres., at a cost of roughly $38,000 a year. It will also now be called the Community Safety office, since very little police matters are handled in the building.

Bylaw parking staff use the space right now and there’s occasional meetings with RCMP officers.

“What gets done in that office?,” coun. Jim Kipp asked during the meeting. “A few meetings, some drop-in? It’s not doing what it was supposed to be doing: serving the downtown core.”

How to best utilize the building is a continued issue for the City and Nanaimo RCMP. The core services review recommended closing the building several years ago to save money, since meetings and issues could be handled at the City’s Service and Resource Centre only a few blocks away.

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It was last at the council table in February, where council voted to work with the community and service providers to help find groups who could better maximize use of the space.

No partnerships were suggested during Monday’s meeting and it’s unclear if the office will be used for anything new.

Coun. Ian Thorpe echoed comments he’d made earlier this year when saying he saw “potential not only just for enforcement, but for outreach to people with social needs who can find out, at that location, where they might receive the assistance they need.”

The motion to continue funding passed with coun. Bestwick, Kipp and Fuller opposed.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit