Nanaimo’s tent city residents did their final packing up Wednesday and moved to other locations.
The 10-day protest on the lawn at city hall grew to about two dozen tents. It was intended to bring attention to the issue of homelessness in the city and the need for supportive housing.
Nanaimo council voted Monday in favour of a $350,465 package of measures to address the drug overdose crisis and help those in need of housing. The biggest amount — $100,000 — is to be spent this year on a daytime drop-in centre.
After eviction notices were issued by the city on Tuesday, about half the campers left.
Karen Fry, the city’s fire chief and director of public safety, said people were “going peacefully.”
Bylaw officers, RCMP, and sanitation staff were on hand as people packed up.
Some of the city hall lawn will need to be reseeded, Fry said, but “it doesn’t look too bad.”
