A rally for improved safety in Nanaimo is planned for this week after a man was shot near a homeless encampment Sunday.
The shooting shocked Nanaimo’s community safety manager, and today, a CHEK camera went into the encampment and documented why those without a home might decide to camp at the spot.
On the banks of the Millstone River, there’s privacy, you can hear the rushing of water, and you’re close to downtown services.Nanaimo’s community safety manager Dave Laberge says while bylaws officers encounter weapons at encampments, they aren’t usually guns. “We see aerosols, we see knives, we find a lot of pellet guns and air rifles, those types of things. Occasionally we’ll find guns at homeless camps, but they’re really typically a one-off, so we’re always surprised when we do encounter them,” said Laberge.
On Sunday, Clint Smith and five others went to retrieve some tools stolen from his mechanic shop when those at the camp resisted and pulled out guns. The group scrambled to their vehicles across Terminal Avenue amid a hail of gunfire.
He says the city did an extensive cleanup of this encampment area in September at a cost of roughly $12,000, but the area is still continuously occupied. The cleanup of this area is expensive because garbage needs to be craned or barged out because it’s so steep.Sign up for our newsletter to get breaking news and daily digests sent to your email.
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