Manitoba orders health authorities to help clean up discarded needles
'Comprehensive disposal and clean-up plans' may include disposal containers, needle cleanup teams
Manitoba's health-care authorities are being mandated to help clean up the needles they've handed out as part of harm reduction programs.
The province is giving the four regional health authorities outside Winnipeg $30,000 each to develop "comprehensive disposal and clean-up plans," otherwise they'll receive no more money for its harm reduction activities, according to a letter from addictions minister Bernadette Smith to health authority CEOs.
The new directive follows complaints of an abundance of discarded needles, specifically in Swan River, where residents have grumbled about needles littering storefronts, parks and playgrounds.
More than 500,000 needles have been distributed in the town over the past year, says Lance Jacobson, mayor of the community of around 4,000 people.
Smith said the health authorities are on board with developing clean-up plans.
'No opposition to it'
"We've had no opposition to it, so we don't foresee having to hold any funds," she told reporters Tuesday outside the legislative chamber.
"Everyone knows that it's a responsible thing to do and everyone's coming to the table in partnership and cooperation."
Smith's letter suggests the new provincial funding could be used to "install disposal containers in public spaces, launch needle cleanup teams and facilitate safe disposal initiatives tailored to the needs of each region."
In Swan River, the town recently passed a resolution calling for an end to distribution of syringes by any organization, and for work on figuring out a cleanup, because the number of discarded needles has spiked.
Over the past month or so, the non-profit Manitoba Harm Reduction Network has stopped handing out needles, Jacobson said, while Prairie Mountain Health has established a phone line for residents to report the finding of discarded sharps and regular pickups are occurring every weekday morning.
Swan River's emergency department also temporarily suspended the distribution of sharps late last week, though harm reduction supplies are still being distributed through public health, which is located in the Swan Valley Health Centre, and other community-based clinics in the town.
Jacobson said he appreciates the province's efforts around cleaning up, as well as last week's announcement for a new police unit focused on crime and drug trafficking, but said the government needs to help rehabilitate people addicted to drugs.
"Our question has always been: What is your plan?" he said.
"We can't just go around saying, 'OK, we're going to spend a bunch of money, collecting needles and hiring people or staff or whatever to take on this role,' we need to have a plan."
PC addictions critic Carrie Hiebert said the NDP's announcement is a "small gesture for community cleanup, but it fails to address the deeper issue.
"What about the individuals and our loved ones using those needles? We must demand that Manitobans struggling with addictions receive the treatment they need today," she said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Smith revealed the province will help fund a third location where people can test what's in their drugs. The expansion will be announced in the "coming months," she said.
As it stands, the province is funding two locations for drug checks, both in Winnipeg: the Street Connections headquarters on Hargrave Street and the mobile RV operated by Sunshine House.
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With files from Chelsea Kemp