Pubdate: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 Nanaimo Daily News Contact: http://www.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608 BYLAW CANNOT TACKLE COMPLEX SOCIAL ISSUES The city's nuisance bylaw is not a silver bullet. Although we've seen the legislation help motivate some landowners to make positive changes, other properties will continue to be hotspots for crime even if the landowners are billed whenever police are called. That doesn't mean the nuisance bylaw is ineffective; in fact, we believe this law plays an important role in helping ensure landlords live up to their responsibilities in the community. But we cannot expect a single law to tackle the complex social problems surrounding crime and addiction in Nanaimo's south end. The city slapped a nuisance designation on the Newport apartments, located on Haliburton street, earlier this year after police received almost 50 calls about the apartment building during the past two years. Residents have complained about break-ins and garbage and drug needles tossed out of windows onto sidewalks below. At the time, the manager at the Newport claimed the property was being unfairly targeted by the city and said that efforts were being made to clean the place up. Unfortunately, little appears to have changed during the past few months. In May, police were called to the Newport on 19 occasions. Going back to last fall, that's second only to January when they responded to the site 20 times. There have already been seven calls for service to the building so far this month, on track to beat recent records. And once again, the Newport's manager insists the problems are being addressed. Of course, these type of issues aren't restricted only to the Newport. Calls to the general area of Haliburton and Needham streets are also consistently high, with several residential problem properties contributing to problems, but the "nuisance" title only pertains to Newport building itself. The city says Nanaimo sees several properties a year declared as nuisances and all of them eventually make their way off the list. The Value Lodge motel on Nicol Street had "hundreds" of visits from RCMP, prompting city council to label it a nuisance property in December 2009 and give it a bill of nearly $5,000 for police services. It worked itself off the list of nuisance properties in April. A new manager and an aggressive plan to remove "problem tenants" resulted in the Value Lodge improving its image. People have argued that this bylaw helped to break up the problem, scattering it across the city rather having it remain in a single, concentrated location. This makes dealing with the problems more manageable, authorities say. The nuisance bylaw certainly can help problem properties turn things around, but it doesn't address the root causes of these issues. We sympathize with the neighbours and members of the South End Community Association, who say that open drug dealing and prostitution has eroded the safety of the community. Nanaimo's south end is a unique neighbourhood that is full of potential. However, it will never shed its unsavoury image until more resources are dedicated to tackling the social issues in the community. No single bylaw can do that. Only a co-ordinated combination of law enforcement, social programs and community involvement will make a dent in this ongoing problem. A better solution is needed to deal with the ongoing crime concentrated in the south end. We owe it our community. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt