Duncan council listened a report at its Monday meeting on safety concerns regarding the corridor along Highway-1 between Beverly Street and the Silver Bridge.
North Cowichan’s Social Planning and Protective Services director, John Horn, presented the What We Heard report from public and business engagement launched last year as part of planning for a new Safer Community Plan.
Among the top concerns are uncontrolled addictions or untreated mental health issues, open substance use, sidewalk encampments, and a lack of places for people to get treatment for addictions and mental health issues.
As for solutions, people feel there’s a need for easier access to mental health care and to addictions treatment, along with more spaces and shorter wait times for help, and more supportive and low-income housing.
Many people also expressed frustration over what they believed was a lack of enforcement by RCMP and Bylaw officers.
The report is being shared with Duncan, North Cowichan, Cowichan Tribes Council, and the Cowichan Valley Regional District Board.
It will also be shared with the stakeholders, partners, and community organizations that were consulted in 2024, as well as the public.
The feedback received during this engagement will help create the new Safer Community Plan that will be developed by North Cowichan, Duncan, and Cowichan Tribes.
