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Last night I went to council to report on a motion by Coun. Ian Thorpe that would have asked Island Health to close the only Overdose Prevention Site in Nanaimo.

As it sometimes happens, that motion was withdrawn and the planned debate on the issue didn’t take place. But community advocates and people who use drugs still showed up to the meeting to oppose it and I spoke with a couple of them afterwards about the ongoing toxic drug crisis in our city.

But that’s not the end of the story. Thorpe introduced a new motion that would see city council send a letter to the province asking it to re-examine its policy around decriminalization and harm reduction. That motion will go to the next council meeting in early December. 

I will be there to continue reporting on the issue, but in the meantime, I thought it would help inform the discussion by writing about where things are at now and a little about how we got to this point in my story below.  

Thank you for reading,

Mick Sweetman

Motion to close Nanaimo’s only overdose prevention site withdrawn

New motion will ask province to reexamine its policy on responding to the overdose crisis

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Council Corner

Monday’s city council meeting saw council amend the City Plan with housekeeping updates as well as amendments to the general Zoning Bylaw.

It also approved development permits for a non-conforming carport and rezoned a property on 14th Street to allow a 13-lot subdivision.

Housekeeping changes to the city’s General Election Bylaw also passed.  

Coun. Ian Thorpe then made his notice of motion to send a letter to the provincial government about its approach to drug policy. (For more on this, see our story above.) The motion will be debated at the Dec. 1 council meeting.  

There was then a brief whispered exchange between Coun. Ben Geselbracht and Mayor Leonard Krog to make a notice of motion to amend the newly passed Manufactured Home Community Relocation Assistance Policy that would seek to increase the home buyout amount by 25 per cent within 180 days of rezoning approval. 

A motion by Coun. Paul Manly was made to ask for a staff report on options for zoning changes around emissions-heavy industry in the city. The motion passed 5-4 with Mayor Krog, and councillors Janice Perrino, Sheryl Armstrong and Thorpe opposed. 

Another motion for a staff report was made by Manly about options to regulate industries that use noxious chemicals and create toxic dust. The regulations would “require proper ventilation and not be closer than 250 meters from residential areas.” That motion was defeated 4-5 with Mayor Krog and councillors Perrino, Armstrong, Thorpe and Erin Hemmens opposed. 

A motion by Coun. Hemmens asking for a staff report on the Colwood Primary Care Model was defeated 3-6 with Mayor Krog, and councillors Perrino, Armstrong, Thorpe, Tyler Brown and Hilary Eastmure opposed. 

On the Island

🌊 A proposed zoning change for the Hand of Man Museum in Maple Bay has sparked concern among neighbours, who say the amendment goes against North Cowichan’s Official Community Plan and could open the door for more commercial development in rural areas. Read Cowichan Valley reporter Eric Richards’ story on the controversy.

🌊 The annual Repair Café in Courtenay took place last weekend. Hosted by Lake Trail Community Education Society, the event fosters a DIY attitude, with opportunities for people of all ages to learn new skills. Read more about the event from reporter Dave Flawse.

In other news

👉 Advocates marked the one year anniversary of a pop-up overdose prevention site near Nanaimo General Hospital. In 2024, Doctors for Safer Drug Policy set up the unsanctioned site, calling on the province to open a permanent overdose prevention site at the hospital. Since then the site has operated most Sundays until June, when a shortage of volunteers prevented it from operating in the summer, before restarting in the fall. The Nanaimo News Bulletin has the story. 

👉 Drivers won’t have to dodge potholes at Neck Point Park anymore as the paving of the parking lot there was completed on Friday. The paved lot features 37 standard parking stalls and four for people with accessibility needs. Nanaimo News Now has the story.

👉 The Nanaimo Shoebox Project is accepting donations for women experiencing or impacted by homelessness. Each shoebox should have about $50 worth of goods, including warm winter gear and essentials such as a toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as luxury items like chocolates or cosmetics. You can read more about the project and watch a video of how to make a shoebox to donate at Nanaimo News Now. 

👉 The hourly wage needed to afford basic necessities in Nanaimo rose to $24.40 in 2025, a 2.5 per cent increase from last year and a 49.4 per cent jump since 2021. While the Harbour City is still the second-most affordable city on Vancouver Island, rising rents in the city are driving up the cost of living according to Living Wage B.C.’s report. Nanaimo News Now has the story.

Community photo

Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun, talks about his great, great, great grandfather Albert Wesley’s canoe that is displayed on Front Street in Downtown Nanaimo during a walking tour with the Nanaimo Art Gallery on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. Photo by Mick Sweetman / The Discourse.

Do you have a great photo from the community? Share it with us for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter. We’d love to see Nanaimo through your lens.

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