A councillor in Nanaimo, B.C., wants the local health authority to close an overdose prevention site next to city hall, in a motion the mayor says reflects frustration growing within the community.
Coun. Ian Thorpe’s motion is set to go before council at Monday night’s meeting, and if passed, would result in the city formally requesting that Island Health close the site on Albert Street.
The move comes after a similar request this month by Victoria Coun. Marg Gardiner related to a safe consumption site that she says is plagued by crime, although councillors in that city delayed the motion until later this year.
In Nanaimo’s case, Mayor Leonard Krog says while overdose prevention sites “unquestionably saves lives,” the motion reflects “increasing concern and frustration” among residents who are unsure about the facility’s effectiveness.
He says that in a time of scarce resources, he believes many are questioning whether the funding could be used elsewhere to help people, while dealing with the city’s “street disorder addiction issues.”
Krog says he expects Thorpe’s motion will be debated and deferred to allow experts and those with an interest in the issue to come before council at a later time.
The site has generated enough concerns about disorder and violence that municipal staff previously proposed building a 1.8-metre-high fence intended to protect those at city hall.
Nanaimo council voted against the $400,000 fence at a committee meeting this month, with Krog saying he was unsure about its effectiveness as well as the “really problematic message” it would send about the challenges of disorder in the area.
B.C.’s Health Ministry acknowledged a request for comment but had yet to provide a response.
The Canadian Mental Health Association Mid-Island, which offers services at the Nanaimo site under Island Health funding, had not replied to requests for comment.
The Island Health website describes the overdose prevention site as offering “witnessed consumption for injection and inhalation” to provide a safer drug-use setting, where a rapid medical response is available if needed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press
