CORMORANT STREET NEEDLE EXCHANGE FACES EVICTION

Victoria's controversial needle exchange is being evicted from its
Cormorant Street home, leaving its operators -- AIDS Vancouver Island
- -- six months to find a new location.

The eviction notice served yesterday sent city councillors, health
officials, real-estate agents and lawyers into overdrive as they
scrambled to find a new location.

Meanwhile, the needle exchange plans to use $125,000 in new funding
from the Vancouver Island Health Authority to clean up its operation
to look presentable for its new neighbours. The new funding allows the
agency to hire a third staff member and increase its mobile drop-off
and pickup locations.

The Cormorant Street exchange, which serves 1,500 intravenous drug
users, has sparked controversy because some homeless clients loiter
outside and leave behind a trail of dirty syringes, blood and human
waste.

Katrina Jensen, AIDS Vancouver Island's executive director, is
optimistic the agency has enough time and community goodwill to find a
new location.

"If we can improve the needle exchange in its current location, that
will put us in the best possible position to find a new location," she
said.

The eviction notice follows the expiry of a one-month deadline imposed
by the exchange's landlord, Landlord Yentel Property Management,
demanding the exchange clean up its act.

Hampered by insufficient staff and inadequate building amenities and
space, operators found that task impossible.

Landlord Yentel Property Management is under pressure to kick out its
tenants because of a temporary injunction being sought by nearby
residents and business to close the operation, which they say has
become a nuisance. The legal action names the landlords, health
authority, Ministry of Health and AIDS Vancouver Island.

Lawyer Stewart Johnston, one of those seeking the injunction, said the
court process will continue.

"The pressure has to be maintained," Johnston said. "I'm heartened to
hear the landlord gave an eviction notice today."

Johnston and others are working with the city to find a bigger, better
location for the needle exchange. AIDS Vancouver Island said earlier
this year it needs $585,000 -- double its current budget -- for a new
3,000-square-foot building that includes amenities such as toilets.

But even with a new location, addicts will continue to inject drugs on
public streets, said Jensen, who argues the only solution is a
supervised injection site.

Mike Conroy, chief operating officer for the health authority, said
VIHA is working with the city, police, and the community to address
the larger issues of homelessness, mental health and addiction issues.

Health and city officials strongly support the needle exchange because
it's proven to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C
through the sharing of dirty needles.

Last year, the needle exchange distributed 740,000 clean needles in
Victoria -- for a total of one million on Vancouver Island -- and saw
770,000 dirty needles turned in.

The B.C. Ministry of Health reports each new HIV infection costs
$188,000 to $225,000 in direct expenses.

AIDS Vancouver Island, which runs several programs, including the
needle exchange, receives about $1.3 million in annual funding from
the health authority, an amount that's been unchanged since about 1993.