NEEDLE EXCHANGE WILL HURT COMMUNITY

As parents of two children at St. Andrew's Elementary, we learned
about the plans to relocate the needle exchange to Pandora Avenue
while reading our morning paper. Is it justifiable to relocate the
needle exchange to our neighbourhood without consultation or
notification to the area businesses, residents and our school?

Relocating the needle exchange in the absence of stable funding and
community supports will not make the situation better for our
community as a whole. Statistics illustrate the frightening
complexities, scope and demand for the services offered by this
agency. Without other essential services the issues confronting our
community of addicts will not improve simply through access to a
bigger facility.

We are being asked to accept a heightened risk to our children in
order to improve the lots of those who seek the services of the needle
exchange. There have been no incentives to us to adjust or prepare for
this and because of that what is transpiring is a situation of
increased conflict.

Donna Hooper and Robert Dodds,

Victoria