NEEDLE BOXES DISTRIBUTED AROUND TOWN IN EFFORT TO CLEAN UP CORE

City councillors most involved with the battle against homelessness
and its related problems, mental illness and addiction are watching
closely to see how an experiment with needle drop boxes will work.

Four sites were selected for needle drop boxes where addicts can
discard used syringes and earlier this week city social planner John
Horn visited with merchants and service providers to talk about what
was planned.

The downtown core has long been a scattering ground for dangerous
discarded syringes. Residents in the area encouraged councillors to
get the boxes onto the street as soon as possible. Business owners
also supported the project, even though some were uncomfortable with
having them close to their businesses.

Outreach workers from several needle-exchange programs hand out new
syringes to addicts every week and while staff say recovery rates are
high, neighbours still complain about finding needles along city streets.

"For some, it's a little disheartening that they're in an area where
we need (the boxes), but as long as we have (the problem), they see
that it's good to have them," Horn said. "We've chosen sites where
users have a tendency to walk past and there's a fair amount of foot
traffic. The intent is to have less needles lying around the city."

Needle exchanges in Nanaimo hand out approximately 7,000 needles in a
month and though they boast a near perfect recovery rate, addicts
still toss needles to the ground when they are done.

Horn hopes the boxes will change that. Volunteers walk the streets
once a week, picking up used syringes. It's hoped the bins will reduce
the number of needles on the streets.

One concern expressed is what message the boxes would send to
tourists, who may feel they are in the wrong part of town. But Horn
said in Victoria and other cities in Alberta that use a similar model,
this issue has never been a known problem.

The city originally proposed three sites, but recently added a fourth.
Compared to Victoria's five bins, Nanaimo should have enough bins to
meet the demand, according to Horn.

On Friday, two of the four boxes had been put up and Coun. Merv Unger
is eager to see how the program works.

"We'll see what the response is to them, and how many (we collect),"
Unger said.

Olympic torch moment fizzles

The Olympic Games torch-lighting ceremony is supposed to stir emotions
but some Nanaimoites got more than they bargained for when the flame
went out, figuratively speaking, for those gathered to watch the
proceedings from Diana Krall Plaza .

All eyes were on the elaborate show playing out on the big screen as
more than 100 people gathered to watch the Olympic opening ceremony in
Beijing.

Then the screen went blank, just as the torch bearer flew through the
sky on his way to light the Olympic torch.

The bewildered audience stared in disbelief. Some people scrambled to
collect their belongings to rush home to watch the end, while others
stood their ground with the hope it would come back on.

Patience paid off and the screen came back on just in time to see the
flames swirl up the Olympic torch to mark the beginning of the 2008
Games.

It was Team Nanaimo's initiative to create a place where everyone
could come together to savour the Olympic atmosphere. They set up
bleachers and provided free coffee and muffins for the early risers.

Residents, tourists and international students cheered and clapped as
different countries paraded into the Bird Nest Stadium. When the
Canadian athletes came into view the crowd erupted with applause.

But a lot of the viewers were cheering for more than one country. Fans
dotted throughout the plaza waiting for a glimpse of athletes from
Austria, Croatia, England, Wales, Sweden and China.

Haolei Liang, 25, ran below the screen and waved his country's flag
when the Chinese athletes made their entrance. The Vancouver Island
University student from Beijing said he considers Canada his second
home after spending six years in Nanaimo. But he said his heart is
still in his homeland and he is so proud to know the eyes of the world
are on his country.

Fortunately, the little glitch was solved and he got to see it.