CRIME TOPS UBCM AGENDA - HEARD THIS BEFORE?

Years of Talk, Same Street: Nanaimo’s Crime Crisis from Courthouse Steps to UBCM

2018 — “Catch-and-release” anger hits the courthouse.

A local victim protests outside the Nanaimo Courthouse over repeat property crime and no jail time. The refrain is simple: courts are too lenient; consequences are thin. (Set the baseline: citizen frustration with outcomes.)

Sept 2022 — UBCM calls for tougher consequences.

Municipal leaders pass a resolution urging the province to deal more strictly with prolific offenders and clarify “public interest” charging. Promises to “get tougher” enter the record.

Sept 14, 2022 — Courthouse rally: business owners & citizens demand consequences.

Over 150 people gathered on the back lawn of the Nanaimo courthouse calling for justice reform and safety improvements. After multiple store robberies and the stabbing of Fred Parsons, business owners like Willow Friday and Brian Rice spoke out:
 - “(Offenders) believe, rightly so, they can … keep stealing, mugging … with no consequences.” — Willow Friday
 - “I had eight break-ins in a one year span resulting in $20,000 worth of cash and inventory losses.” — Brian Rice
Retired RCMP officer Darrel Gyorfi added frustration with the court system:
 - “Police say they have no support from Crown to approve charges, they can’t hold people in custody including repeat offenders, some with dozens of offences.”

Mar 2023 — A shooting shocks the city.

A business owner is shot while retrieving stolen tools from an encampment, becoming a flashpoint for public anger. As rallies form, Solicitor General Mike Farnworth issues a statement: government will “strengthen enforcement, ensure there are consequences and address the root causes of crime.” Police warn residents not to intervene themselves.

Apr 12, 2023 — Courthouse cameras, premier on the steps.

Premier David Eby calls the rise in repeat-offender violence “unnerving… and completely unacceptable,” unveiling 12 enforcement/coordination hubs and naming Nanaimo as a site. The promise: tighter tracking “from investigation through the court process to strict community supervision.”

Mid-2023 — Justice, inverted.

Prosecutors later stay a key charge in the shooting case, citing evidence consistent with self-defence. Yet the victim, Clint Smith, had already left the encampment and was shot in a parking lot across a highway. This decision shook public confidence: if pursuing a theft victim across lanes of traffic still qualifies as 'self-defence,' what does that say about justice?

Contrast this with cases of Canadians defending their own homes:
 - Ian Thomson (Ontario, 2010): fired warning shots at masked intruders fire-bombing his home, yet faced prosecution before charges were dropped.
 - Peter Khill (Hamilton, 2016): shot a man breaking into his truck; acquitted at trial but ordered retrial by Supreme Court to reassess 'reasonableness.'
 - Gerald Stanley (Saskatchewan, 2016): acquitted after shooting Colten Boushie, sparking national controversy.

The irony: encampment occupants on public land are given the benefit of 'self-defence,' while homeowners in their own homes often endure years of legal battles. Justice seems to bend differently depending on whether you are a taxpayer in your own home or a squatter in a public camp.

2024–2025 — Same conversation, bigger stage.

Street disorder and repeat offenders remain top of mind. At UBCM 2025, mayors again press Victoria for help; the province points to initiatives and limited dollars. The loop continues: meetings, podiums, promises—while residents still feel less safe.

Verdict:

From 2018’s lone courthouse protest to 2025’s convention halls, the message from government has barely shifted: more coordination, more hubs, more pilots—later. The message from Nanaimo residents hasn’t shifted either: we need visible, reliable consequences now, and communities that feel safe enough that seniors aren’t scared to go for a walk. Until the province can point to measurable, local reductions tied to its initiatives—fewer releases for prolific offenders, faster charge approval, tighter supervision—the public will hear the same speech every year and see the same streets every night.