The City of Nanaimo is starting to experience colder days, and even colder nights leaving those living on the streets vulnerable to freezing temperatures.
The Nanaimo Systems Planning Organization was appointed by council last year to spearhead the installation of warming stations across the city, but so far only a few sites have been selected and no stations are running.
According to John McCormack, of the Nanaimo Systems Planning Organization, four sites are being considered for warming stations for the 2023/24 winter season including three local libraries, reactivating the stations used last winter, Caledonia Park and a location in the north end of the city.
“We’re looking for ways to reduce the impacts on the community,” McCormack says. “Having more centres reduces the impact on Nanaimo and the surrounding area.”
Despite the locations put forward by McCormack councilor Hilary Eastmure says their research, and presentation, doesn’t jive with the information being sent to council.
“One thing that jumps out at me is the location at St. Paul’s Church, in the information we received from staff, is that location is no longer available,” she says. “When that is the first location, it raises a red flag.”
The SPO’s report indicated the city would need multiple warming stations across the city to accommodate those in need, and those stations would need to align with the hours needed with a cost of over $250,000 per station.
The report also indicates funding for up to three stations is not readily available from the city, and the lack of provincial funding puts this project at increased risk, but the risk to those out in the cold should be the paramount consideration.
Councilor Ian Thrope says with no funding identified it makes it hard for him to support the organization’s money for the project.
“No funding has been identified for warming centers this year,” he says. “So, it seems to me we’re nowhere unless we can identify some kind of funding stream, and I hope I’m not hearing an implication that taxpayers be the intended sole source, or source at all, for the necessary funding.”
Councilor Hilary Eastmure said during a committee meeting if council doesn’t have the necessary funding, or doesn’t put funding forward, then a bigger push needs to be put towards the provincial government.
“We’re definitely in a worse position than last year because we don’t have funding identified for this year,” she says. “So, I think we need to ring the alarm on this as soon as possible.”
According to the SPO’s report, Nanaimo’s homelessness count was up 20 per cent this year from 2020 with 514 people experiencing homelessness.
Nanaimo’s emergency shelters can currently hold 100 people but rise to 150 in the winter with the opening of emergency shelters.
