944 needles in 16 parks over 10 days
City staff tasked with removing dangerous debris from downtown parks collected 944 needles from the sites in a little over a week.
Two staff also picked up 239 pipes, 28 bags with drugs or traces of drugs and three full needle-disposal kits from 16 parks between April 22 and May 1, said Jim Berezowsky, the city's public works director, during Tuesday's executive policy committee meeting.
He noted the new project, which will run until October and aims to clean up 'high risk' parks, is welcome by the public.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
944 discarded needles were collected by city staff in just over a week.
'Our staff that are coming across people in the park areas, they're very understanding and appreciative of the work that our staff are doing,' said Berezowsky.
Since the program just recently began, it's not clear how many needles will be found in later months of the year, long after winter buildup is removed.
While council approved $60,000 for the seasonal work, the public works director noted the project would require more funding to extend into the winter.
Berezowsky noted neighbourhood groups, Siloam Mission and others also do some needle cleanups.
Mayor Scott Gillingham said the numbers highlight just one side-effect of the drug crisis.
'We've got a huge drug problem in our city and that drug problem is not just manifesting itself in abandoned needles in playgrounds and parks… The scourge of drugs and drug addiction in our community is having consequences that are multi-faceted,' said Gillingham, noting the connection to violence and general littering.
When asked if the city should spend more money to run the park program all year, the mayor said he'd first like to reach out to agencies and the provincial government to seek help to address the problem.
In January, the city asked the provincial government and/or the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority to 'take responsibility for the collection of disposed needles within the City of Winnipeg that were distributed by them or their partners and consider a needle exchange program.'
The mayor said he'd still like that to take place.
'If there is any agency that is distributing needles… I think it's up to those agencies also to be part of the solution in getting those needles back, rather than having needles just go out, be used and end up in a park where children play… This is about the health and safety of the public,' said Gillingham.
In a brief email Tuesday, a provincial spokesperson said the WRHA Street Connections program does pick up needles and provides drop boxes where people can safely discard them.
The spokesperson said the province is 'actively considering' an incentive to return used needles.
The head of a social agency that provides needles at a mobile overdose prevention site said the lack of additional supervised consumption space is part of the problem.
'In the absence of expanded supervised consumption services and the absence of proper harm-reduction programming in the city… we know that folks are going to be using in spaces… like parks and libraries and bathrooms because we don't have formalized services beyond what we offer at the mobile overdose prevention site,' said Levi Foy, executive director of Sunshine House.
On the positive side, Foy said the large number of needles collected in just a few days could reflect that fewer users are sharing needles, which would reduce their risk of harm.
He agreed that discarded needles pose a public health concern, stressing it's important to ensure users have an easy, stigma-free way to return the needles.
People who use Sunshine's overdose prevention site can easily dispose of needles right after use, while its outreach workers provide sharps containers that can be returned when full, said Foy.
Clients are not required to return a used needle to get a new one, he said.
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Coun. Cindy Gilroy, who advocated for the park cleanups, said she believes the program is helping, although she'd like it to be expanded.
'I think that it's very clear when you're picking up (so many) needles… that it's needed. There are a few more parks that really need some diligent attention,' said Gilroy.
The Daniel McIntyre councillor said she'd also like the work to continue in winter months, since downtown daycares have complained dangerous debris is a year-round concern.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
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Joyanne PursagaReporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
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