On Monday, Nanaimo city council met for a short agenda following the presentation of Civic Sport and Culture Merit Awards, which recognize local athletes who have won gold medals in their events.
Coun. Paul Manly’s motion for a staff report on regulating the hours and days for construction noise passed unanimously.
According to staff, construction and excavation is currently permitted between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays and statutory holidays. Blasting is limited to the hours between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
Manly said the years of construction in the Rock City neighbourhood has led to noise complaints related to the use of hydraulic excavators to break rocks.
“I am in no rush for staff to report on this right now,” Manly said. “I know that staff are busy, and so this could generally be at the end of the pile of things to do.”
Coun. Erin Hemmen’s motion to add two South End parks to the city bylaw regulating overnight camping in parks also passed unanimously. Nob Hill and Dervall Square Park will be added to the list of parks where overnight camping is prohibited in the city’s Parks, Recreation and Culture bylaw.
Coun. Hilary Eastmure supported the motion to ban camping in the two parks but also said that allowing people experiencing homelessness to camp in parks is a “last ditch option” and raised the idea of creating a safe space in the city that is designated for overnight camping with access to running water and washrooms.
“If you're allowed to camp in a park overnight, but there's no washroom accessible, we're creating a messy situation, to say the least,” she said.
A Facebook post from the Sound End Community Association said “it's not a complete solution to these issues, but an important piece of the fabric we're weaving.”
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