Opioid abuse contributing to growing trash, violence problem in downtown parks

Used needles, trash and violence caused by homeless people and drug users are becoming so prevalent in east downtown parks that city staff are recommending dozens of urgent changes, at a cost of at least $1 million.

The garbage overflow alone is so bad that staff say they need to quadruple the number of cleanup trips in east downtown parks, at a cost of about $630,000.

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The report also points out that it'll cost an extra $350,000 next year just to maintain the current level of service provided by city security guards, known as Park Ambassadors.

"Everywhere you go you see the tips of needles," said John Smith, a man who frequents Allan Gardens at Carlton and Sherbourne streets. "It's getting out of hand. There's kids going through here all the time."

James Colling, who lives on Carlton across from Allan Gardens, says he's had confrontations with people who were obviously intoxicated.

"The park is deteriorating every day because of, we'll say, the residents of the park," he said. 

Both men say park security patrols have been stepped up recently, but have had trouble keeping the peace there in the past.

The report will be presented at next week's meeting of the community development and recreation committee. At that same meeting, councillors will hear about a review of the social services offered in west downtown neighbourhoods.

The total cost estimate for the additional cleanup and security efforts is just under $1 million, according to the staff report. On top of that, the report also recommends more outreach workers trained in substance abuse for the east downtown area. Those costs are expected to be presented at next week's meeting of the Toronto Board of Health.

"Parks, Forestry and Recreation has dedicated as much time to litter and needle pickup as possible within their 2018
operating budget and staff complement such that they are now providing twice weekly, and sometimes more often, litter and needle cleanup for "hotspots" in parks in the Downtown East," the report states.

"Normal service for all parks is once weekly."

In 2019, the report points out, cleanup trips will need to jump from once a week to four times a week. And the city will need to hire three additional cleanup crews "operating two shifts a day, seven days a week for 10 months."

James Lim says he routinely visits Moss Park, which contains a safe injection site. But he says he wouldn't bring his children there.

"There's a playground here, but no one ever uses it. There are tennis courts here but no one ever uses them," he said. "Sure, if they cleaned it up, we'd come here more often."

Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, whose Ward 27 includes two of those "hotspots" — Allan Gardens and Moss Park — told CBC Toronto she's been frustrated by the parks' deterioration, and city council's unwillingness to pay for solutions.

"With an opiate crisis, and a shelter and homeless crisis, all these issues are coming to a head. We have been raising the alarm bell for some time about how we need to have additional services," Wong-Tam said.

"We need more needle cleanup, we need more garbage pick up, we need more parks ambassadors, more [municipal licensing and standards] officers ... Everything we need,  we need more of. This is not a leafy, quiet neighbourhood in Etobicoke where nothing ever happens," she said.

"The city has dropped the ball."

The report seems to back up her claim that the downtown east area is in significantly worse shape than other parts of the city.

"Downtown East has been significantly affected by the opioid crisis," it states. "The area has seen a 33 per cent increase increase in accidental overdose cases from 2013 to 2017."

Wong-Tam said her ward contains 25 per cent of the city's shelters "and I don't have 25 per cent of the city's budget supporting these situations."

And she invited councillors who don't believe her call for financial aid to visit her ward.

"These are neighbourhoods that are iconic, and what we have been saying all the way to the mayor's office is that there is a crisis in our neighbourhoods — there are people sleeping in stairwells, there is a lot of open, aggressive drug dealing and all this is coming to a head. If we don't allocate the proper resources to help a neighbourhood in need, then shame on us," she said.

"It's already late, but not too late."