Nanaimo City Hall Gonna Get a Whole Glow-Up with a Fence, Lowkey 🚧

The Deets

Alright, so listen up, fam. Word on the street is Nanaimo City Hall is about to get a major glow-up, but not the kind you're thinking. They're talking about throwing up a whole 1.8-meter fence around the building. And why, you ask? Well, apparently, ever since that overdose prevention site moved in next door back in December '22, things have been a lil' wild. Like, violence, harassment, property damage... the whole shebang.

The city's dropping some serious coin on this project, like $412,000. But they're trying to keep it classy, saying it's gonna be a "robust decorative, wrought iron" design. Because, you know, gotta keep up appearances while also warding off... whatever's going on. They even have to get a zoning variance, cuz the fence is taller than the current rules allow. 🙄

According to the mayor, they low-key have a "legal duty" to protect their staff and property. They're claiming the area is straight-up deteriorating, with employees getting harassed and even having their cars messed with. Not a vibe.

But not everyone's feeling this fence idea. Some are saying it's gonna look mad exclusive and send the wrong message. One public safety group is even calling it a "wake-up call" for the feds and the province to step in. The mayor's tryna play it cool, saying they're already on it, hiring more community safety officers and RCMP. We'll see if it's enough tho.