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Drugs and crime often go together in news stories, sometimes with sensational headlines and quotes that stoke perceptions of people who use drugs as being dangerous to people in the community we live in.

At the same time, it is naive to deny that drug and alcohol use has a real impact on people who consume them and people around them. 

However, it is difficult to tell from anecdotal evidence how much crime is actually related to drug use, the need to get money to pay for drugs and the illegal nature of the drug trade.

I spoke to a couple of academic experts on the topic: One who helped lead a data-driven study into the costs of drug and alcohol use, of which the impact on crime was just one part, and a Vancouver Island University criminology professor who teaches a senior-level class on drugs and crime, lives in downtown Nanaimo and has seen the impact of the toxic drug crisis in her neighbourhood.

You can read my story investigating How much crime in Nanaimo is drug related?

Down in the Cowichan Valley, my colleague Eric Richards has also been working on an important story about protesters in Duncan demanding harsher punishments and forced treatment for people who use drugs and if it would solve anything. 

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

How much crime in Nanaimo is drug related?

Alcohol use is often not included in discussion, despite being major contributor to drug-related crime says expert.

Vancouver Island outdoor enthusiasts want authorities to ‘open the gates’ to the backcountry. Here’s why it’s complicated.

Hundreds of thousands of hectares of unceded land privatized decades ago are blocked off — causing confusion and frustration for many outdoor lovers. But accessing land with complex ownership is far from simple.

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On the Island

🌊 The issue of wood-burning within the Comox Valley Regional District has been a hot topic for some time, in part because wood stove smoke is a large contributor to air pollution in the region. Since our Comox Valley reporter Madeline Dunnett last covered the issue, the City of Courtenay shared data that shows air quality is improving thanks to local initiatives. However, the regional district, municipalities and residents still have work to do to continue this downward trend of air pollution. Read the full story here.

🌊 Phil wants to ‘wake people up’ to the realities of living unhoused in Duncan as tensions flare over how best to address theft and vandalism while supporting marginalized people. Our Cowichan Valley reporter Eric Richards looks at if harsher punishments and forced treatment for drug uses will really solve the underlying issues. Read his story here.

In other news

👉 Faculty and student unions at Vancouver Island University are calling for president Deborah Saucier to be removed from her office, saying they have lost confidence in her leadership. Eighty six per cent of faculty members voted in favor of a non-confidence motion saying that faculty are worried decisions are being based on “bogus data” and that union members “want a president who knows what is happening.” The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story.  

👉 The Nanaimo Blues Festival is concerned about the impact of not receiving funding from the BC Fairs, Festivals and Events Fund this year. Last year the festival received $18,000 in funding which organizers say was the difference between losing money or breaking even. CHLY 101.7FM is on the beat.

👉 Nanaimo tenants are feeling the crunch as the average rental price for one-bedroom apartments in the city increased by 1.9 per cent, while two-bedroom units saw the average rent fall by 0.4 percent. Provincially, average rents fell by one to two per cent. Chek News has the story.

👉 Despite no money being earmarked for it in the provincial budget, the province says plans to build a new patient tower is still in the works. The Ministry of Infrastructure says the project needs a business case to be approved before funding is allocated. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story. 

👉 Deaths among people experiencing homelessness in Central Vancouver Island are on the rise according to the BC Coroners Service. There were 55 deaths in 2023 of people who are unhoused in Central Vancouver Island, with only Vancouver having a higher number in the province. Nanaimo News Now has the story.

Community photo

The 2025 herring spawn is happening, with a large spawn near Parksville. I went out last Friday and captured this shot of the herring roe mixed with sea foam at low tide. Photo by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.

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