Overview

• Council committee will vote this week on whether to build a 1.8-metre-high fence around Nanaimo City Hall
• A staff report cites incidents of employee intimidation, vandalism, fires near entrances and human waste linked to the adjacent overdose prevention site
• Since the site relocated next to City Hall in December 2022, officers have observed groups of 20 to 30 people congregating during early morning and evening hours
• Mayor Leonard Krog stresses the city’s legal obligation to protect municipal employees and property, noting final fencing expenses could vary
• Critics warn the fence could be perceived as excluding a vulnerable population served by the Island Health-funded, CMHA-operated site