By Dominic Abassi

‘Heartbreaking and frustrating:’ Nanaimo volunteers tackle vile messes in areas bushes

Jan 22, 2019 | 4:47 PM

NANAIMO — It’s hardly surprising anymore to see pictures online or hear someone complain about a massive pile of garbage found in the bushes around Nanaimo. But instead of joining the hundreds of people complaining about the longstanding issue, two men are taking action.

Les Girard and Jeff Callaghan recently formed the Van Isle Clean Team. So far it’s a group of two, as the pair volunteer their time and effort to clean up dump sites and abandoned homeless camps around Nanaimo.

Last summer, Callaghan received media attention and praise from the community for his work cleaning up a homeless camp along the Millstone River.

Fed up with stumbling across pristine areas in nature fouled by people’s garbage, Girard said he decided to join Callaghan’s efforts and start a Facebook page to document their work.

“Going out into these trails and recreation areas, I was seeing it just wasn’t a safe part of our community anymore, especially for our families and our pets,” Girard told NanaimoNewsNOW.

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Girard said he feels a lot of emotions when he comes upon the camps or dump sites.

“You get frustrated and upset because of the disrespect to our nature and what Nanaimo is known for. But at the same time you also feel sadness and sympathy because someone is struggling in life. It’s heartbreaking and frustrating at the same time.”

He said the group is in the process of applying for official non-profit status from the province and their Facebook page has seen a strong surge of support since it was created earlier this month.

A video showing a horrifically messy former homeless camp along the railway tracks off Haliburton St. quickly gained widespread attention this week. Girard said it’s among the worst he’s seen.

Warning: video contains adult language

“Some of them are just disgraceful with the amount of trash and garbage. Other ones, you can’t believe how many needles are all over the place. They do vary and they’re always different.”

The pair are filling roughly 200 garbage bags a week, Girard said, and have noticed a lot of gratitude and appreciation from the community.

He said the goal is to grow their group and bring on more volunteers, although he said it’s an “at your own risk” proposition because the cleanup sites are not always safe.

Donated supplies are always welcomed and among the biggest need, as well as notifications about where the messes are.

“Right now the biggest ones we’ve found are in the south end of town, but we’ve also had a lot of people contacting us about the north end too. It seems to be an overall, widespread issue everywhere.”

Girard said the City of Nanaimo is coming on board to help in some capacity, offering to haul away piles of garbage and debris left in areas staff can access.

During this week’s Council meeting, staff told councillors they are aware of at least a dozen substantial homeless camps scattered in bushes around town.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi