COMMITTEE STICKS TO NEEDLE PROGRAM

A city committee is throwing its support behind maintaining the status
quo on its needle exchange program.

The only change the community and protective services committee is
recommending to council is that all needles be cleaned up off local
streets.

Some councillors have been looking for a one-for-one needle exchange,
but based on mounds of evidence presented to the committee by acting
medical officer of health Dr. Isra Levy, they decided to go ahead with
his recommendation.

As he said last week when he released his report, Levy says a
one-for-one needle exchange increases the spread of HIV and other
diseases. This could result in more than 20 additional cases of HIV a
year, which would represent more than $3 million in health care costs.

Summer Student

To help rid city streets of discarded needles the committee
recommended a number of enhancements to the program, including hiring
a summer student to pick up the needles.

The student -- who was hired in May -- will also help map out exactly
where the dirty needles have been tossed.

The city has also created a dirty needle pickup hotline (613-580-4757)
so residents who spot a needle can ask for a worker to be dispatched
to pick up and properly dispose of it.

The city hands out 343,000 needles a year but recovered more needles
than it handed out to addicts last year.

The committee has also agreed to spend $50,000 on a report to study
the use of retractable needles.