EMBATTLED NEEDLE EXCHANGE LEFT IN LURCH

VIHA Halts Plan To Move Controversial Service To Pandora Avenue
Building

With nowhere to go, operators of Victoria's needle exchange are
hurrying to come up with options to keep the service running after May
31, when its troubled tenancy on Cormorant Street comes to an end.

AIDS Vancouver Island learned Friday that the Vancouver Island Health
Authority board of directors has frozen plans to move the service into
a new home, the St. John Ambulance building at 941 Pandora Avenue,
until more community consultation takes place.

"At this point we're coming up with (both) a short-term and a
long-term contingency plan," said Katrina Jensen, AIDS Vancouver
Island executive director.

"There's still two months left until we have to move, we're spending
the time pursuing all of our options, including looking at locations
for the needle exchange," she said.

AVI hopes to have options in the next two weeks.

But while some have suggested a trial period operating the service on
a mobile-only basis, Jensen says that's not an option.

The needle exchange is the only point of contact for some of its 1,500
registered clients and other health and social services, she said.
Without a fixed site, accessing those services will be difficult for
homeless clients.

VIHA's decision came after a week of protest led by parents of
students at St. Andrew's elementary school and the Victoria
Conservatory of Music.

Both groups said placing the needle exchange so close to their doors -
St. Andrew's is less than 100 metres from the St. John building -
would put their children in danger.

Thursday night, they asked Victoria city council to consider either
changing the zoning on the building, which currently permits clinical
uses that would include the needle exchange, or introducing a minimum
distance in city policy between the needle exchange and any school or
park.

The city already has a policy requiring liquor stores be located at
least 200 metres from schools.

"This is something that is very close to my heart and all of the
parents of St. Andrew's," said school council president Darlene Duncan.

City council referred the questions to city staff for a report on what
legislative powers the city might have to restrict needle exchange
locations.

The move doesn't commit council to anything, said Coun. Geoff Young,
who is serving as acting mayor while Mayor Alan Lowe is on holiday.

"I think there was a willingness to ask for the information to find
out what options would be available to us.

"There was certainly no commitment by the council to make any
decisions about future zoning. There are a whole lot of future
directions this could go," Young said.

Jensen said she believes if the needle exchange can operate under the
same roof as other services, the problems on the street in front of
its current location could be curtailed.

"What I would like to see would be for the community to give a new
proposal a chance to work," she said.