An order to have a vacant lot cleaned up on Lewis Street was debated to help improve safety, limit vegetation growth, and mitigate hazards in the area.
Municipality of North Cowichan council engaged in debate on a 30-day timeframe to have the owner of 2566 Lewis Street install appropriate fencing, provide regular lawn maintenance, and install no trespassing sign on the property with some asking to shorten the timeframe.
Mayor Rob Douglas says the environment for residents has deteriorated, and the municipality needs to step up and show residents their voices are being heard.
“Lewis Street, right now, is currently in one of the worst conditions I have ever seen, with encampments on both the north and south sides,” Douglas says. “The most vulnerable clearly needs our support, but at the same time the residents of Lewis Street are suffering too.”
Photo credit: Justin Baumgardner, VistaRadio
Douglas says taking a more aggressive stance on enacting remedial action would let residents know we’re taking their concerns into the highest priority.
“This vacant lot has become the sight of rapidly growing and increasingly disorderly encampment,” he says. “While the cleanup order won’t solve all the challenges on the street, it’s a meaningful step.”
Councillor Bruce Findlay agrees action must be taken to clean up Lewis Street and restore safety to the most vulnerable population, residents and businesses, but he says costs keep mounting for people living in the area and they’ve had enough.
“There are business owners who are incurring massive costs that are outside of their control,” he says. “Fencing is an enormous cost, and it would be great if we could send the bill to the province, we didn’t cause the issue.”
According to Findlay, public safety issues aren’t just limited to Lewis Street; they’re also filtering over to York Street, Beverly Street and starting to drift up to Drinkwater Road.
The motion for remedial action to be taken at 2566 Lewis Street was passed unanimously during a council meeting last week.
