Wet Housing Opposition Mounts

Quarterway Wet Housing Project 

Opposition Mounts

Quarterway School Pickets

Residents of the Quarterway School area are letting city officials know they are strongly opposed to the rezoning of property on Bowen Road for the purpose of building a wet housing project. One opponent being interviewed by CHEK television on a picket line in front of the school said she had to quit her job if she intended to make her opposition to the project known. If true, it would call into question that open and transparent society we pride ourselves on, where everyone is free to express their opinions without fear.
Local city staffer Andrew Tucker was in the same interview pointing out the fact there are 'many' research studies speaking of the benefit of these projects and the positive impact they have on the area. He also pointed out that the location for a facility to help drug and alcohol addicted people being across from a pub and beer and wine store was simply typical of most areas in Nanaimo. A fact however, that opponents see as simply setting future residents of the facility up for failure, if alcohol is so readily accessible.
The fact this particular location was originally described in the Memorandum of Understanding as being suitable for 'more independent tenants', and someplace along the way, that intended use has been changed to house those with mental health and or drug and alcohol addiction problems, was not addressed.

Appeal To Premier Clark
A hospital area resident has taken her appeal directly to the new Premier of the Province asking for her intervention in the matter. She makes the case that it would seem Ms Clark would be sympathetic to parental concerns about the proximity to the school of these two wet house projects given her expressed concern for the well being of families. The resident also asks the question of when were the concerns and wishes of hard working, tax paying residents trumped by the few needing help. The resident points out they are not opposed to helping those who need it, but can't imagine why the facility has to be placed in an area so close to a large school, and in an area where considerable social housing programs already exist. It is also pointed out that city staff used questionable procedures to have the subject property removed from the cemetery designation it once had, and how city staff originally gave area residents the impression the facility to be built would be a rehab center of some kind.

Publlic Hearing Tonight
There is one final opportunity for the public to express their feelings about the proposed rezoning of the Bowen Road property for the purpose of offering 'wet housing' to people with mental illness and or alcohol and drug addiction problems, and that is tonight at 7:00pm in the Shaw Auditorium in the Conference Centre downtown. If the pickets in front of Quarterway School are any indication of things to come, tonights hearing promises to be a 'spirited' one to say the least.