A new viewing platform at the south end of Groutage Avenue in Trail will be temporarily closed after a city councillor raised concerns that it is frequented by people who openly use drugs.
It’s the outcome of one of several motions Nick Cashol introduced last week, but the one with the most immediate effect.
Cashol said the platform, which is close to a few homes, is “pretty much on a daily basis occupied by folks addicted to drugs, and they use in that area. As a result, it’s not inviting and it’s not safe and accessible for the public.”
Cashol said he was motivated to introduce the motion after seeking kids playing on the platform and speaking to their parents, who live in an apartment building nearby.
“They like coming to this area because it’s so close, but in the past two weeks, they’d only been there once because they don’t feel safe coming there when people are openly using drugs,” Cashol said.
He also said he also spoken with others who feel the viewing platform is affecting their quality of life, and feels that closing the platform for now is a “small gesture to make this better, but it will have, I think, a significant impact on those residents.”
The motion says the platform will be blocked off until “measures can be implemented to restore its safe and intended public use,” but doesn’t specify what those measures might be.
Cashol said “decommissioning” doesn’t mean tearing down the platform, and it should be simple to reopen if the situation changes.
The motion carried with mayor Colleen Jones and councillor Paul Butler opposed.
“Public spaces like the Groutage Avenue viewing platform were created for everyone to enjoy — families, seniors, visitors, and residents alike,” Butler said in an email.
“Shutting them down doesn’t address the root causes of addiction, poverty, or mental health struggles — it simply makes them less accessible to the wider community.
“Instead of relying on enforcement and closures, we need to focus on housing, harm reduction, and mental health supports that benefit the whole community.”
As of this morning, the platform was still in use.
Cashol also introduced a motion to ask the RCMP to make Jubilee Park, Groutage Avenue, the Rotary Gazebo, and the west end of the Columbia Skywalk a priority for enforcement against open drug use, including foot patrols.
He said people don’t feel comfortable using the area, and he hopes that a greater police presence would make it feel safer and more inviting.
The motion was carried with Butler and councillor Terry Martin opposed. Last month, RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich told council police are already at the limits of what they can do with enforcement.
“I think there’s more to worry about than homeless people using drugs,” Wicentowich said. “If we’re going to focus all our resources on that, I don’t think it’s very effective.”
A third motion asks city staff to prepare a report the city’s jurisdiction in enforcing bylaws against encampments on Crown land within city boundaries. That motion was adopted unanimously.
Cashol said it followed some discussions he had with the Ministry of Forests, which is in charge of Crown land, which told him that enforcement falls on municipalities.
“I was shocked to hear that,” he said. “I’m still not convinced. So the motion was to get clarity on that so everybody knows the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders involved.”
It is not, he added, a motion to remove encampments that have popped up beneath the city’s river wall.
Cashol said while bringing the motions all at once was “kind of a lot,” the matters are related.
“I just felt we have to do something,” he said. “It’s our job as council is to reflect the will of the people, what’s in the best interest of everybody. And I think these motions represent that.”
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