Nanaimo's Crisis: Growing Staff, Growing Problems, No Solutions
Nanaimo, like many Canadian cities, is trapped in a
deepening cycle of social decay. Over the past two years, we've seen a
significant increase in municipal spending on public safety—yet little to no
improvement in outcomes. The city has created a new enforcement team, Community
Safety Officers (now numbering 20), approved 40 additional firefighters, hired
10 more RCMP officers, and just added a full-time crime analyst position.
Yet despite this swelling public payroll, the streets feel no safer. Crime
remains rampant. Drug overdoses continue to take their toll. Homelessness and mental
health challenges are increasingly visible.
Why? Because none of these new positions address the root cause: a lack of
political will to confront the hard truths.
There is no push for mandatory treatment for chronic drug users—those who have
overdosed multiple times are released back onto the streets, destined to repeat
the cycle. There is no accountability for dealers—slaps on the wrist send the
message that trafficking drugs in Nanaimo is a low-risk, high-reward
enterprise. Crimes committed to fuel addictions are tolerated, effectively
ignored by a system overwhelmed and unwilling to act.
This is not compassion. It’s neglect—a neglect that enables suffering and
fosters chaos.
The endless addition of new staff, without a corresponding strategy to address
addiction, crime, and mental health, is a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. We need
to start asking hard questions:
- How much are we spending on these new positions?
- Where is the evidence that these increases are making a difference?
- Why aren’t we tackling the core issues of addiction and crime head-on?
Until we confront the decay in our social fabric—by holding criminals
accountable and mandating treatment for those trapped in addiction—no amount of
staffing increases will solve Nanaimo’s problems.
It’s time for our city leaders to show real courage.
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