RIP NEEDLE EXCHANGE

Dozens of people gathered at the corner of Pandora and Vancouver on
Monday evening to mark the demise of fixed-site needle-exchange
services in Victoria after almost 20 years of continuous operation.

The anger was palpable as speaker after speaker took the microphone
and stood beside a symbolic coffin to decry the lack of leadership on
the part of city and Vancouver Island Health Authority officials that
resulted in a failure to secure a new location for the AIDS Vancouver
Island-run service before the lease expired at its Cormorant Street
location on May 31.

"If this doesn't change immediately, people will start to die," said
former AVI needle exchange staffer Kim Toombs. "Walking up here
tonight I met at least 20 people who didn't know where they could get
clean needles."

Needle exchange staff spoke passionately about the assistance they
provide to the city's IV drug users. Users spoke of both the
services they accessed and of the camaraderie they found there, in an
environment where they were treated as people.

Members of the recently-formed Harm Reduction Victoria group told
those gathered that needle exchanges act as primary health centres
for clients and provide a springboard to medical and social services
for those who are looking to change their lifestyle.

Anti-poverty activist Rose HenryaE"a founding member of needle
exchange services in the cityaE"reminded those present that direct
action has often been the only catalyst for change in Victoria.

Noticeably absent from the event were any of the city's elected
officialsaE"with the exception of Green Party leader and Esquimalt
councillor Jane Sterk. Since no other politicians or policy makers
saw fit to attend, allow us to give a brief summary of the spirit of the event:

'Pull it together and get a goddamn fixed-site needle exchange before
this becomes a public health nightmare for your postcard-pretty town.
Needle exchanges save lives. Not just the lives of drug addicts, but
the lives of those who might come into intimate contact with people
who have contracted HIV or Hepatitis C by sharing rigs."