North Cowichan will take a look at strengthening its bylaws that minimizes public exposure to open drug use in parks and adjacent to school properties, while still providing supports to vulnerable people.
Council made that decision at its meeting on Oct. 4 after the province recently introduced new legislation that would ban illegal drug use in many public places, less than a year into a decriminalization pilot project meant to de-stigmatize drug users that allowed it.
Many in North Cowichan have been raising concerns about open drug use in the community, particularly in the York Road/Lewis Street area which has become a hotbed of social issues and is close to numerous schools.
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In response to growing challenges related to homelessness, street disorder, and the opioid crisis in the municipality, council also directed staff to move forward with six other recommendations at the meeting to improve community safety and better support North Cowichan’s most vulnerable citizens.
They include developing ideas for a detox and/or rehabilitation facility that would be a partnership with a non-profit society and funded by the province; hiring a social planner to coordinate the municipality’s response to these issues (at an estimated cost of $120,000 per year); and seeking more funding from senior levels of government to help deal with them.
CAO Ted Swabey told council the community’s highway corridor area, which includes York Road and Lewis Street and runs south into downtown Duncan, houses North Cowichan’s largest transient homeless population and is grappling with escalating issues stemming from homelessness, mental health challenges, and drug addiction.
He said the decriminalization of small quantities of illicit drugs at the beginning of the year has shifted the province’s focus toward “harm reduction” strategies and, consequently, local governments are increasing their emphasis on managing the resulting public disorder issues.
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“This challenge has become a top priority in B.C. and for municipalities across Canada and the United States,” Swabey said.
“At its core, the crisis is a medical issue with a web of complexities that make finding a solution increasingly challenging.”
Swabey said resolving these complex issues will take time and likely require significant local, provincial, and federal financial investments.
He said the question is always asked: whose problem is this to solve?
“While local governments lack the expertise and resources to tackle these issues single-handedly, the impact on our communities is direct and substantial,” Swabey said.
“We must respond to public disorder issues and ensure the safety of our residents and businesses. Therefore, we must continue to empathize and advocate for improvements and solutions, which are not within our mandate as a local government, to improve the lives of those who struggle with drug addiction, mental health, and homelessness in our communities.”
Mayor Rob Douglas said these issues are the No. 1 concerns that have been brought up to him on a daily basis since he was first elected as mayor in 2022.
He said it seems like the more resources the municipality dedicates to responding to these issues, the worse the problems seem to be getting.
“We’re not unique here as we are seeing these problems right across Canada,” Douglas said.
“There is no silver bullet and even if we adopt [all seven recommendations] and then some, we’re not going to fix this problem. This is not something that a municipality can fix on its own. It requires actions and investments from senior levels of government.”
