NANAIMO — Nearly half a million dollars in federal funding awarded to the City of Nanaimo is boosting response efforts for the city’s Community Safety Officers (CSO).
Coming from the federal government’s Emergency Treatment Fund, the City was awarded $442,752 in April to purchase three new trucks, along with related operational and medical equipment for the expanding CSO program.
City manager of social planning Christy Wood told NanaimoNewsNOW the vehicles will hit the road any day now and come with a laptop for officers to do on-the-road reporting, as well as key medical supplies.
“It’s just meant to help them respond to an overdose until emergency first responders can arrive on scene. One of the big key things that we are concerned about when somebody is overdosing is oxygen, and so they will have some equipment there to be able to help…so that will help improve health outcomes for many people.”
Until recently, the program was limited to just a single vehicle, meaning officers were largely restricted to being on foot or on bicycle in their response to various situations in the downtown.
Despite the three trucks not yet being on the road, the City has a direct case study into their projected effectiveness.
Health Canada approved the City using some of the grant money to rent a truck, which has been in service since April.
Wood said the vehicle has been directly tied to 583 service calls, 202 people assisted, 192 wellness checks and responded to 23 overdose-related calls, in addition to all the other files CSOs dealt with.
Sixteen officers are on staff, with funding approved in the most recent budget for an expansion to 22 by the end of 2026.
“They’re the outreach team that’s out there providing support to vulnerable populations seven days a week, currently until 11 p.m., but once we’re fully outfitted, to 1:30 a.m. There’s no other outreach teams that are out there in that capacity.”
Directly addressing the ramifications of substance misuse is a key part of the CSO response, with a vast majority of Nanaimo’s homeless population reporting some kind of challenge with illicit substances.
“Out of those people who’ve responded to surveys, approximately 74 per cent identified a substance use issue, so it’s a big need in our community, and the fact that we have the CSOs that can provide that bridging gap to emergency services, I think is really critical.”
Wood said the increased transportation options won’t necessarily expand the scope of CSO services geographically, with officers remaining largely in the downtown core and Bowen Park.
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