Murray Wood: Who's hot and who's not
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The mayor of Nanaimo, B.C., says a deferred motion for the city to ask the local health authority to close an overdose prevention site near city hall will likely be settled in the fall.
Leonard Krog says that while Nanaimo council did not pick a date to hear the motion, he thinks it would be October at the latest, and this time council will hear from Island Health and other stakeholders to discuss the concerns raised by the site.
On Monday, the council voted 6-3 to defer Coun. Ian Thorpe’s motion to request Island Health close the overdose prevention site and put the funding into other drug-addiction treatment options.
Krog was among those who voted in favour of deferring the decision, while Thorpe was one of three who wanted to vote on the motion.
Nanaimo’s motion comes after a similar motion and deferral this month by Victoria council, with both cities citing disorder and public safety concerns around the facilities.
At an unrelated news event on Tuesday, Premier David Eby did not dismiss the possibility that some sites may be relocated, saying that addressing disorder from locations would take the co-operation of many parties, from governments to service providers and law enforcement.
“There absolutely can be sites that are incompatible in terms of location with surrounding businesses and other activities,” Eby says. “We’re always willing to engage in conversation with cities to ensure that these sites are properly located.”
Thorpe says he voted against the deferral of the Nanaimo motion because the challenges created by the current supervised consumption site is urgent and cannot wait.
“I think the sooner we try to send a message to the provincial government, the better,” he says. “And this is of course just my personal opinion, but I feel that the government’s philosophy of decriminalization and normalization of drug use has created more problems than it’s solved.”
The B.C. Health Ministry said before Monday’s vote that overdose prevention services are “vital” in saving lives and connecting people to treatment programs, and site operators “are funded and expected to take steps to mitigate street disorder within the immediate vicinity.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press
