COUNCIL SEEKS $100,000 FOR NEEDLE-EXCHANGE CLEANUP

The City of Ottawa will be asking the province for a matching $100,000
contribution for a stepped-up program to recover discarded needles
after the Ontario government initially rejected an initial request for
$200,000.

Yesterday, council cut its request in half, saying it has found the
extra funds from money that would have gone to pay the salary of
former medical officer of health Dr. David Salisbury. The province
pays 75 per cent of the position's salary. Since that money is already
in hand, it will now be used for the needle cleanup program. However,
there is only enough for a year.

Since the needle-exchange program began in 1991, the city has been
under pressure to deal with the proliferation of discarded needles,
which many residents consider a public safety issue. According to the
city, a collection program that was initiated in 2001 has been
successful, but can't keep up with the need. For example, the number
of discarded needles increased last year to 2,029 from 813 in 2000.
The $50,000 cleanup budget is just not enough to deal with the problem
and the city believes more money is needed.