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From the News Bulletin article:
A team of mental health and addictions workers would also be created to work in the office and respond where needed with services downtown.
The recommendations also call for ambassadors to assist the local public and tourists."
That sucking sound is downtown emptying your wallet!!
Over the past two decades downtown Nanaimo has become one gigantic black hole with an insatiable appetite for taxpayer dollars. In spite of the millions spent on downtown 'revitalization' which included the $100 million conference centre (should have cost $42 million) downtown property and business owners are still looking for more and more from the weary taxpayer.
For years and years they received a quarter million dollar a year gift from the rest of Nanaimo to bolster their enterprises. They have special tax concessions to aid in rebuilding the tired downtown and still they want more and more in the way of increased security.
What other group of businesses (any mall in town) gets special treatment from taxpayers and the RCMP and city hall? It's time this group of merchants and property owners stepped up to the plate and passed the hat among themselves and dealt with security matters, which arguably they bring upon themselves.
One other thing mentioned was for the city to pay more attention to sidewalk cleaning etc. Isn't keeping the sidewalk in front of your business presentable something you would expect each business owner to take upon themselves?
As for issues being caused by people with addiction and mental problems, that should be the purview of Island Health who should be putting forward a credible plan to deal with this ever-growing segment of our society. This is not an issue city hall councillors or staff are properly equipped to deal with. They need to quit letting Island Health duck their responsibilities as this is clearly not a policing or city hall issue, it is a health issue, plain and simple.
Actually Jim I think you may be off the Mark here.
ReplyDeleteThe request for additional policing is because the DNBIA, we're supposed to look after it, and they failed miserably. Yes, the DNBIA did get $250,0000/yr to do such things but the safety & security committee of the DNBIA did not even meet for two years and spent a measly $1,000.00 on security and I think that included graffiti removal.
Shockingly poor use of money for what was suppose to be their priority.
This request from a group of property owners is BECAUSE the DNBIA failed miserably. This part of washing the sidewalk was the city encouraging the property owners to participate more, which is a great idea.
Addiction and mental health issues need a completely different approach. Free food, treatment and housing obviously do not work. Do we have any smart people in government at all to come up with something new?
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