Dozens of Nanaimo, B.C., residents marched through the Nob Hill neighbourhood Friday in yet another rally drawing attention to escalating crime in the island city.
Chanting “Enough is enough,” and carrying signs that read Crime scares kids; City on fire; and We matter, they called on all levels of government to take innovative action to crack down on repeat offences, public drug use and a mental health and addictions crisis contributing to homelessness.
Crime, including stabbings, assaults, thefts and fires, has spiked in the community, they said.
“Government policy is obviously failing. They’re doubling down on methods they’ve used in the past that have not worked,” said marcher Brian Rice.
“How far do you go until you have to make a change in what you’re doing?”
Friday’s march was not the first in the city calling for government intervention on crime.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth was not available for an interview Friday.
In April, the province announced that Nanaimo would house one of 12 new hubs of the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative. Each hub would see a dedicated team of police, prosecutors and probation officers pool their expertise and resources in an attempt to achieve better outcomes when repeat, violent offenders present themselves.
They would also monitor cases involving prolific offenders through the investigation, court process and community supervision phase in an attempt to break cycles of recidivism. To date, 64 case referrals have been made to the program in Nanaimo.
At the time, Farnworth also announced an additional $75,000 in funding for existing programs tailored to Nanaimo’s specific safety needs. Nanaimo RCMP, further, will have access to a new $16-million fund that expands police investigative resources and targeted enforcement capacity.
In an emailed statement, Nanaimo RCMP confirmed that “social disorder” has seen a “significant increase” in Nob Hill. Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien said the spike is attributable to an increase in drug usage on the streets and in “marginalized persons who are unsheltered.”
“Residents often encounter people on a daily basis who are in the throws of addiction and sadly, they are finding those who have fatality overdosed on street level fentanyl. They’re also witnessing first-hand individuals who are in a mental health crisis,” he wrote.
“It is certainly taking its toll on the residents and businesses in this neighbourhood.”
Rice and Neighbours of Nob Hill Association co-chair Tereza Bajan said residents are too afraid to go downtown, while businesses watch their flow of customers dwindle and taxpayer-funded facilities go under-utilized.
Bajan further said seniors in Nob Hill are too afraid to walk in their neighbourhood, contributing to their mental health and physical decline.
“We’ve been basically hosting this drug addiction on the streets and mental illness, high crimes and everything, but it seems to be completely concentrated in our neighbourhood. It has been for decades,” said Bajan.
“We’re only two blocks wide but they have basically encased us with safe injection sites, methadone clinics. Our park has been hijacked.”
An area resident who Global News agreed not to name for safety reasons said she is a “prisoner in my own home,” with strangers having squatted on her steps, cut her hedges and defecated on her property.
“I kept my silence too long and I was fearful,” she told Global News. “Right now I’m living in a jail. I’m jailing myself in my own home.”
She said her family doesn’t want to come to visit her anymore either.
“I don’t feel safe on my property. I can’t be out there anymore, even to water my roses or sit there and enjoy it – my own garden,” she said. “This is a problem for all the parties … Focus on the problem, don’t focus on the blaming.”
The rally comes as the House of Commons rises early for the summer, without passing bail reform legislation that provincial governments — including B.C. — have been advocating for, for many months.
In May, Ottawa tabled Bill C-48, which would change the Criminal Code to require courts to consider a suspect’s history of convictions for violence, community safety, and security concerns before making a bail decision. If passed, it would also expand the set of circumstances under which the onus falls on a suspect to demonstrate why they should be let out on bail.
At an unrelated press conference on Thursday, Premier David Eby said he was “disappointed” that MPs let it slide until the fall session.
“All the premiers across Canada signed a letter asking the federal government to take action on this,” he said in Richmond, B.C. “I really can’t express the level of urgency that people feel about this in communities. It’s non-negotiable.
“The basic requirement of our justice system is that it keeps people safe, and it’s not meeting that standard right now.”
Eby said British Columbians “need this bill to pass” and he has been assured that C-48 will move through the required readings in the next session.
The marchers, meanwhile, said they will continue to raise their voices.
“A tiny percentage of the population is causing so much damage to our cities, and it’s all across Canada. Nanaimo is one of the worst and it’s one of the most beautiful with some of the most potential anywhere in Canada,” said Rice.
“These people are highly unpredictable. You don’t know what sort of delusion they’re experiencing because they’re so damaged on the drugs they’re taking.”
They called for more treatment beds in Nanaimo and more long-term housing for the vulnerable while citing serious concerns with drug decriminalization policies.
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