Discontent City expected to resolve in November
After six months, the fate of Nanaimo’s Discontent City remains in flux. A BC Supreme Court decision from Justice Ronald Skolrood on September 21 ruled that Discontent City residents would have to leave the camp by midnight October 12 or risk being removed by the RCMP. Despite recognizing that tent cities provide a sense … Continued
Profiles of Discontent City
Nanaimo’s Discontent City has been a hot-button issue for residents of Nanaimo since the camp was formed in May of 2018. Discontent City is a tent city set up by Nanaimo’s homeless population as a safe place for them to live, as well as raise awareness about homelessness in the city. A tent city was … Continued
The Samaritan House identifies lack of affordable Nanaimo housing a risk factor for vulnerable women
By Sports and Lifestyle Editor Cole Schisler On September 2014, the Island Crisis Care Society (ICCS) published a study on the state of homelessness in Nanaimo titled “Summary of Need for Emergency Shelter and Related Housing Services for Women in Nanaimo.” According to the summary¸ “census reports done over a four-year period prior to 2009 … Continued
The Salvation Army: Giving hope
Above: Sign for the Salvation Army on a building in downtown Portland. Photo via iStockphoto. By Sports and Lifestyle Editor Cole Schisler Across BC, rates of homelessness are rising. For some, the issue can be attributed to the lack of affordable housing. For others, it could be loss of a job, addiction, mental illness, or just … Continued
Op-ed: The streets of Nanaimo
Above: Nanaimo skyline via Wikipedia By contributor Philip Gordon The streets of Nanaimo are shifting. Where the salt-air and diaspora meet, hundreds of displaced people gather in huddled masses to talk about how broken the system is that put them there. Downtown Nanaimo is currently a hub of invalids, mental patients, and drug addicts—all of … Continued