City of Greater Sudbury delivers $12K for dirty needle pickup

According to Sudbury city councillor René Lapierre, the proliferation of dirty needles turning up across the city is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately.

At a council meeting Tuesday night, the Ward 6 councillor asked for a one-time infusion of $12,000, money which will help the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth pay for staff to clean up used needles.

Lapierre said this problem is making even simple workday tasks a danger around the city.

"We have some of our parks staff that are having trouble doing their gardening because they can't put their hands through the flowers and flower pots," Lapierre said.

"And some of our summer students now have to sweep physically the area looking, before they pass the weed eater because if they just cut through it. they'll be flinging needles with the weed eater in some places."

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The vote to give the action centre the money was unanimous, but councillor Deb McIntosh wondered if the $12,000, which will keep the organization's efforts afloat until December, will end up being an item that the city carries indefinitely.

"Why is this now becoming a municipal expense? Who used to pay for it, and why are they not paying for it now?" McIntosh asked

"I absolutely get [the program's importance], but I do see this happening over and over again ... other organizations or other levels of government downloading on to us, and we're having to pick up the tab."

Lapierre said the Sudbury District Health Unit used to fund the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth (or SACY) to pick up needles, but now public health staff do it themselves.

"SACY was kind of doing it through the needle exchange program, walking the beat for these clients. It wasn't a direct funding, but they did it as part of their outreach," Lapierre said.

Once the action centre's pickup program gets re-established, the city will be looking at partnerships and harm reduction strategies similar to its managed alcohol program, operated with the Northeast Local Health Integration Network, which general manager of community development, said has been "quite successful."