Nanaimo city council considers whether to demand closing of next-door overdose prevention site

The Vancouver Island municipality of Nanaimo wants the local health authority to justify the continued existence of the community’s legal overdose prevention site as opposition mounts to the facility around the corner from its City Hall.

Nanaimo City Council deferred voting Monday evening on a motion asking the Vancouver Island Health Authority, or VIHA, to shut down the site in favour of meeting with the agency in coming weeks. The site has been operating since 2022.