Here’s how Nanaimo local election candidates will respond to homelessness and mental health issues

Leading up to the 2026 municipal election in Nanaimo, The Discourse surveyed readers to learn what they wanted to know from candidates running for council and mayor. 

For our Nanaimo respondents, the top issues that readers said are on their mind this election season are: homelessness and social supports, environment and local infrastructure.

Based on your feedback, we sent five reader questions to Nanaimo city council and mayoral candidates about the top issues you identified and asked them to respond with a maximum of three sentences per question. There were so many good questions submitted in the survey and we tried to pick ones that were specific to the community. 

We also had to cut some questions to keep things concise. A number of you wanted to know about candidate positions on topics such as restoring rail service in the Island and school district policies around devices in the classroom and SOGI/2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion.

Many readers also wanted to know more about candidate track records and values, not just talking points, with some folks submitting questions to help indicate how much candidates actually know about their municipal roles and responsibilities.

Below are responses to a reader question specifically about supports for people who are unhoused and in crisis.

Responses are listed with mayoral candidates first, followed by council candidates, each in alphabetical order by last name, have been lightly edited for length, clarity and fact-checking.

Reader question: Right now in Nanaimo, people living with severe mental illness and substance use disorders are being left to deteriorate on our streets because we simply do not have enough physical shelter beds to bring everyone inside. If elected, what immediate emergency steps will you take?

Brunie Brunie (Mayor)

Not everyone on the street is addicted, most are just too poor to pay the rent. It’s not fair to homeless people or businesses to be lying on the street suffering. A DESIGNATED CAMPSITE WITH FACILITIES and STURDY ARMY TENTS WOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM. From there, social workers could help those in need.

Anne Marie Dryden (Mayor)

This is my number one priority. If we can clean up this mess many things will improve in Nanaimo. I would immediately use the law for enforcement to pick up intoxicated individuals who are using in public and move them to a location to sober up so that they can be ushered into recovery.

Leonard Krog (Mayor), incumbent

I have worked tirelessly to persuade the B.C. government to get serious about building appropriate facilities for mentally ill and addicted people. The city has done what it can to help resolve a problem which is not within the remit of municipal governments in B.C.

Sarah Lovegrove (Mayor)

In alignment with my priorities for enhancing access to the social determinants of health in our community, I commit to working in collaboration with community partners and neighbourhoods in establishing sufficient shelter beds and day spaces to meet the immediate needs of our community, connect people in need with necessary health and social service resources and enhance the overall safety of our community. As a long-term and upstream commitment, I aim to engage in more efficient and effective advocacy with our provincial partners to expedite affordable and supportive housing funding and leverage the tools available to City Hall to mobilize zoning, permitting and development that bridges people into long-term homes where they can receive the care and support they need.

Jeff Annesley

Jeff Annesley did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Sheryl Armstrong, incumbent

We need continued advocacy with the provincial government for investment in treatment centers. We need to push for provincial funding for shelters. We will continue to open emergency shelters when the temperature threshold is met at city owned facilities.

Sandy Bartlett

Sandy Bartlett did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Ken Bennett

I will look into what possible options for warming shelters we have at our disposal to utilize. Talking to the organizations who have feet on the ground who can help.

Marnie Boers

I would like to prioritize creating multiple city drop-in spaces throughout Nanaimo. These drop-in spaces would let unhoused community members come inside to access basic needs and, more importantly, connect directly with resources, including medical and other support teams. Taking this more proactive and upstream approach could also reduce pressure on emergency services, including firefighters and the RCMP, and save the city money over time.

Jackie Bolen

I support an expansion of the already existing Heart and Hearth programs and a housing first approach. We need to advocate to the provincial government for more funding to expand temporary and medium- to long-term shelter options. I support the hiring of more Community Safety Officers in Nanaimo to help the unhoused folks get better access to resources that they need.

Mark Chandler

As the brother of an older 20-year addict, I’ve seen this very complex subject from all angles.  We need to look at immediate supports from both levels of government: Ottawa and Victoria.  Cities across B.C. are struggling with the cost of this crisis, so the short answer is get the funding and secondly, have a priority meeting with all stakeholders involved to find a solution before the rain and cold approach.

Paul Chapman

We need to identify emergency shelter beds and offer folks (and their companion animals) alternatives to sleeping outside. We need to meet people where they are, in addition to shelter and housing this includes health, mental health and housing navigators.

Malcolm Cooke

Malcolm Cooke did not respond by the deadline.

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Andréa Coutu

Having worked on the Downtown Eastside and for the Fortune 500 and in actually changing big medical and social services systems, I’m clear on this: let’s save lives, get people out of danger and find somewhere realistic for them to go during this intergovernmental emergency. We need a replacement for The Hub, services and Community Safety Officers city-wide; funding for first responders, and real advocacy to the province and health system for housing, supports, harm reduction, mental health, detox, treatment, recovery, hospital tower, primary health care (including possibly Colwood and nurse practitioner models), safety, response and compassion. We urgently need to work with partners to rapidly identify city-owned or other suitable sites for additional temporary shelter and supportive services, remove unnecessary municipal barriers and coordinate outreach, health care, bylaw and public safety responses, while setting clear targets, service tracking, a balanced scorecard to monitor results, improved communication and public engagement so that we have a real focus on moving people and their things safely and empathically [sic] and with responsible use of resources and money. Emergency shelter is a bridge, not the destination.

Shane Crawley

Shane Crawley did not respond by the deadline.

A campaign website was not available upon publishing.

Ryan Djakovic

I support establishing a full service therapeutic community space on a land parcel outside of the communities of Nanaimo. This happens to be one of my main platform points and I have a well planned, evidence backed solution to properly address this issue. The communities will house people and provide them with work opportunities which will help them discover their purpose in a positive and supportive community. Full details are available on my website.

Hilary Eastmure, incumbent

The situation is devastating and inaction is incredibly frustrating to me so I would support the rapid re-establishment of a year-round drop-in hub (and ideally more than one location, dispersed throughout the city in areas designed to minimize neighborhood impacts) in partnership with community non-profit agencies, BC Housing and the province to provide access to a warm and dry place to be with basic necessities including food, bathrooms, showers, laundry service and overnight shelter beds funded by the province. Drop-in hubs are critical not just to provide basic needs, but also to also offer navigational support to help people understand where and how they can access the services that do exist in Nanaimo (sparse as they are), including getting on BC Housing’s list for housing and connecting with local service providers. And if adequate indoor spaces are not available, I would be supportive of exploring options to provide sanctioned areas where people are allowed to camp (in tents or in their vehicles) and provide access to basic needs like bathrooms, garbage cans and power sources to help reduce the high risk of fires in wooded areas and reduce impacts of pollution and human activity in natural areas.

Joe Figel

Joe Figel did not respond by the deadline.

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Ben Geselbracht, incumbent

With about 65 year-round beds and 104 temporary winter beds for roughly 600 people experiencing homelessness, and 20 fewer beds this winter while the Nanaimo Homelessness Hub relocates, Nanaimo needs more shelter space now. Right away I will work through council with city staff, BC Housing, the Homelessness Response Leadership Table and the Reaching Home Community Advisory Board to open temporary shelter spaces before the cold season. Longer term, I will continue work to secure funding, sites and staff for permanent seasonal cold weather shelters and restore beds at a new Hub location.

Bryan Gordon

Bryan Gordon did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Anita Greer

Anita Greer did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their Facebook page.

Patrick Gunville

We need to stop measuring success by how much money we spend and start measuring whether people are actually getting off the street, accessing treatment and moving toward stable housing. I would review city-funded programs against clear, measurable outcomes and prioritize continued funding for approaches that demonstrate results, while working with the province and service providers to address gaps in shelter and treatment capacity. Compassion and accountability belong together. When an approach is not producing results, we need to be willing to change it.

Derek Hanna

Derek Hanna did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Richard Harlow

Nanaimo counted 577 people without a home last December, BC Housing told council in March that the city had 63 permanent shelter beds and 104 winter ones, and all 104 winter beds closed by the end of April, including the Hub’s, which was turning five people away a night before the city cut its funding. The operators have a 30 to 35 bed year-round Hub designed and costed, BC Housing has said it would fund the winter beds again and the missing piece is a building — one that works for the people I meet on the street who use wheelchairs and cannot find a bed.: DAWN Canada told the National Housing Council this summer that disabled people are four times as likely to be homeless, and BC Housing’s standard is still five per cent of beds wheelchair accessible, which is why the newest supportive buildings here opened with four and six accessible units out of about 50. In my first month I would move to offer a city-owned site with the city’s letter of support and its share of the operating money, on the condition that accessible beds beat that five per cent, and I would move that Nanaimo apply for the provincially funded civilian crisis team so a mental health worker answers the person in crisis and the officer gets that hour back.

Erin Hemmens, incumbent

Shelter, mental health care and substance-use treatment are provincial responsibilities, but the city works closely with BC Housing, service providers and neighbourhoods to find practical local solutions where resources fall short. Ultimately, we need to get people inside because people living outside are more vulnerable to illness, violence and predation, while neighbourhoods experience very real impacts when people have nowhere else to go. The city will continue to be a willing partner, but we cannot create the shelter, supportive housing and health-care capacity Nanaimo needs alone.

Steven Johns

I strongly believe council needs to advocate the provincial government to create more shelters and beds. City council is doing the best they can but need support.

Cameron Leckenby

As your Nanaimo city councillor, I will work to increase the number of community mental health workers paired with RCMP officers to ensure that people receive the support they need. Pairing community mental health workers with RCMP officers will also allow other RCMP officers to remain available and respond in a more timely manner to other matters in our community. As someone who is almost three years sober, I will work to advocate that the City of Nanaimo increases access to harm reduction services so that our neighbours can access the care that they need and deserve.

Max MacKay

Max MacKay did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Paul Manly, incumbent

I will push to re-open a Hub in an appropriate area, connected to emergency shelter beds, where people experiencing homelessness can access food, showers, laundry facilities and meet with outreach workers who can connect them with appropriate housing and the services they need to improve their lives. I will work with BC Housing to open additional temporary housing in smaller clusters and permanent supportive housing buildings, dispersed in the community in areas where there are homeless encampments. I will continue to work towards the full implementation of a pilot project that brings diverse community interests together to build 400 new affordable units per year until we have built the social housing needed for workers, low income seniors, people with disabilities and students.

Bryant Marshall

I would work with BC Housing, Island Health, local non-profits and Indigenous partners to immediately identify additional temporary shelter, warming and safe indoor spaces so fewer people are left on the streets. I would support coordinated outreach that connects people experiencing severe mental illness or substance use disorders with shelter, treatment, health and housing services, while keeping public spaces safe and accessible for everyone. My arts, culture and community approach is about building a compassionate community where people are treated with dignity, community spaces remain welcoming and municipal resources are focused on practical solutions and measurable results.

Bill McKay

I believe we should support safe shelter options for people experiencing homelessness. As an immediate step, I would pause bylaw enforcement against property owners who allow people to live in trailers on their land, provided the arrangement does not pose a public health risk.

Andrew Merilees

I support the reopening of The Hub in downtown Nanaimo to provide these citizens support and the use of city resources to create and increase access to shelter spaces.

Matthew Miller

Matthew Miller did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Zaki Mohammed

Zaki Mohammed did not respond by the deadline.

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Rod Moreno

This is a system failure at the provincial level. However, the taxpayers already paid over $1 million in unallocated funds. These tax dollars could be directed to keeping The Hub on Victoria Road, which provides bedspaces and is supposed to close at the end of March. However, this is a stopgap measure. As a city we must put pressure on the province to fund and deal with these issues. Moreover, we need to create better data collection mechanisms and metrics to justify or change what we are doing. We need measurable results for every tax dollar spent.

Editor’s note: The Hub on Victoria Road in Nanaimo already closed in March 2026. The $1 million figure Moreno has provided comes from a report delivered at a May 11, 2026 governance and priorities committee meeting.

Janice Perrino, incumbent

We have done so much to support the homeless, from building below market housing, supportive homes, tiny homes, financial supports to keep people in their home and more shelter beds than ever before. We will keep building more but so much depends on BC Housing and their capacity to fund the supports. We also continue to advocate with the provincial government for voluntary and involuntary beds for the people who are the most sick and in need of the kind of help we aren’t able to provide through housing.

Rob Phelan

Rob Phelan did not respond by the deadline.

Frank Pluta

Frank Pluta did not respond by the deadline.

Read their platform on their campaign website.

Austin Seng

I work every day in the heart of downtown Nanaimo, hearing the voices and experiences of people who are unhoused, and my goal is to make those voices heard and help ensure that people have access to shelter along with other basic human rights.

I will take active steps to collaborate with existing facilities and organizations to develop and implement effective, practical ways to support our most vulnerable community members.

This includes exploring both short and long term housing options, temporary shelters developed in partnership with property owners, new public showers, increased access to hygiene products and continuing to encourage community involvement through donations to the organizations already working tirelessly to support our unhoused residents.

Holden Southward

We need mash style large tents with cots that can be assembled and disassembled quickly for the nights around the city hall parking lot. Security guards and volunteers can be present through the night to keep order and watch out for the vulnerable, depressed and confused people. Opportunities must be sought out to give each person if they wish a place for healing far away from the environment they are in with trained volunteer guardians.

Ian Thorpe, incumbent

Ian Thorpe did not respond by the deadline.

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Paul Van Ryssel

Paul Van Ryssel declined to answer the questionnaire, stating that he was not comfortable reducing these issues to short answers without the information council and staff would have and citing the number of questionnaires he had received. 

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Angela Hope Waldick

I would treat this as an emergency while recognizing that much of mental health care, addictions treatment and supportive housing falls under provincial jurisdiction. I would work with BC Housing, Island Health, outreach organizations and the City to identify immediate shelter and supportive housing capacity, including temporary options where appropriate. I would measure progress by tracking shelter capacity, unsheltered homelessness, length of time people remain without appropriate housing and connections to treatment or supportive services.

Meg Fyfe Watkins

Housing is a human right, and I will always advocate for a housing first approach. If elected, I will immediately begin work to get more warming centres open before the cold weather sets in and work with all levels of government to increase support and streamline the delivery of shelters and essential services that are desperately needed to support people in Nanaimo who are unhoused. It is also my priority to thoroughly examine the city’s budget to ensure that where we are spending our tax dollars (especially in terms of response to homelessness, mental health crises and public drug use) is actually producing results. If not, we need to change tack immediately and pursue evidence-based solutions to these pervasive social issues.