Syringe attack on city worker in public washroom raises safety concerns in Nanaimo, B.C.

Residents and officials in Nanaimo, B.C., have expressed concerns about public safety after a syringe attack on a city employee Tuesday morning.

Nanaimo RCMP said a 58-year-old employee was "assaulted with syringes" in a washroom at Maffeo Sutton Park, which overlooks the local harbour, at around 10 a.m. PT.

The victim "suffered wounds to his face and abdomen," Const. Sherri Wade said in a statement.

Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said the worker stopped to use the public washroom in the park and found people openly using drugs. The worker was attacked after asking them to leave, Krog said.

"I'm angry and disgusted that this would happen, and that individuals feel comfortable in attacking a city worker who's asked them to stop using drugs openly in a public washroom," the mayor said.

He told CBC News the employee is doing well but is concerned about their colleagues' morale.

"I think it's fair to say it's been disturbing for people, obviously, but incidents involving the open use of drugs and some of the behaviours that go with that are not unknown, sadly," Krog said.

"I would hope this will be another message to the provincial and federal governments, however, that the street disorder — and I use that term very broadly — is simply not acceptable to citizens across this province."

Krog said his community, like most places, is safe, but incidents like this can make the general public feel otherwise. 

"The perception is that you're not safe in many places, that you might be subject to harassment or a random attack and the province has to deal with that," he said.

"There are too many incidents that are beyond the level of comfort for most people."

'Let's have some justice': community advocate

Kevan Shaw, vice-president of the Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association, said his group has been demanding action on public safety for years.

He says he wants to see mandatory care for those on the streets, not just in Nanaimo, but across the province. 

"Something's got to give and the mayor of Nanaimo has been saying that over and over again too. We're blue in the face," Shaw said.

"I'm sick and tired of talking about it. Let's have some justice."

Shaw noted the Nanaimo assault comes a week after an attack in downtown Vancouver in which the alleged assailant was shot and killed by police inside a 7-Eleven on Robson Street. 

Vancouver police have not disclosed the identity of the attacker, and have not said whether he had a criminal history or mental health issues.

B.C. Premier David Eby said the Vancouver attack was "really corrosive to people's sense of safety in communities."

There's an urgency to get compassionate care for people who struggle with mental health and addiction issues and who may be prone to violence, Eby said, while also protecting the broader community.

Eby said the number of people with brain injuries is increasing in B.C. due to the toxic drug crisis, wherein people are surviving overdoses but being left with brain trauma. 

The B.C. government announced in September that it will expand involuntary care for those with mental health and addictions issues, and will open "highly secure" facilities to house people detained under the Mental Health Act throughout the province.

Jonny Morris, CEO for the B.C. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, says secure care may appear to be a simple solution, but in reality is fraught with complexity and ethical challenges.

"Sometimes it can hide from view the real need for action in other areas of the mental health system and other broader things like housing and making sure that we get to people before it becomes a crisis in the first place," Morris told CBC News.

Const. Wade said while Tuesday's assault is upsetting, stranger attacks are rare. She said there have been no other instances of attacks with needles or syringes in Nanaimo since 2022.

She said the victim told police his attackers were white men: one with a red beard, wearing a red coat, jeans and a large medallion; the other with dark hair and dark clothes.

Anyone who sees people matching the descriptions of the alleged attackers is urged not to approach them.