COUNCIL BUNGLED NEEDLE EXCHANGE PLAN

The city dropped a bombshell on Harris Green when it announced that it
had near-final plans to move the needle exchange to Pandora Avenue.

On March 9, Bruce Carter of the chamber of commerce wrote that council
has "shown leadership in making these decisions even in the face of
opposition." What opposition? The decisions were made in secret. And
what leadership?

Rather than explaining how this needle exchange will be different from
the old one, and how such differences will mitigate the consequence
for its neighbours, the city's leaders offered vague promises about
increased staffing and insensitive remarks like "the problem is no
matter where we go, there will always be community issues and
sensitivities."

Perhaps, but why locate the exchange in one of the city's most densely
populated areas? Why put it across the street from an elementary
school, on a street lined with condo towers and businesses that rely
on foot traffic? Why locate the exchange in the area that already
shoulders most of the burden of social problems? There is an
industrial area adjacent to the downtown core; locating the facility
there wouldn't harm anyone.

I can't think of an endeavour that would require public support as
much as the needle exchange does. Yet the city chose to relocate the
facility without consulting anyone and then botched the announcement
of the "near-finished" plans.

David Strand

Victoria