HUNT IS ON FOR A NEW NEEDLE EXCHANGE SITE

Lawyer Keyvan Shojania Has An Agent Scouring The City To Find A
Suitable Building To Rent To AIDS Vancouver Island

Lawyer and developer Keyvan Shojania is used to dealing with high-end
projects, but now he's beating the bushes looking for an industrial
building with neighbours who are unlikely to complain.

"It was not exactly the business I was thinking of," said Shojania,
who has offered to buy a building to rent to the AIDS Vancouver
Island needle exchange.

It is also not that simple.

AVI said this week it wants to move the needle exchange from the
corner of Cormorant and Blanshard streets, which has become a magnet
for street problems.

Neighbours have complained bitterly about the daily detritus of used
needles, drug paraphernalia and human excrement.

The aim is to find a building in an area zoned light industrial
(M2I), a short walk from downtown, about 2,000 square feet, with a
courtyard or fenced yard where clients can gather to smoke and talk,
in an area where activities will not upset neighbours.

No listings or rentals match the description.

So Shojania has a real estate agent combing through suitable
properties, doing title searches and approaching owners to see if
they're willing to sell.

The process is likely to turn up about 50 properties and will take
five or six weeks, he said.

Areas that could be considered are the side streets off Douglas such
as Princess, Pembroke, Discovery and John streets, he said.

Shojania admits that a mixture of altruism and self-interest inspired
his offer.

Most landlords are reluctant to rent to AVI, he said.

"I know it sounds very generous to say we will buy a building and
rent to them, but we're looking at full cost recovery. It's not
likely to be really lucrative, but we won't necessarily lose."

The self-interest comes in with the Palladian condominium building
Shojania is developing in the 1600-block of Quadra Street, a little
too close to the current nightmare on Cormorant Street.

The bigger aim is to help stop deterioration of some parts of
downtown and assist in a public-health issue that affects everyone,
Shojania said.

"Rather than just complain, I would like to provide a solution, and I
would like to see other developers and business owners in town -- and
most of them are richer than I am -- come up with some innovative
solutions," he said.

AVI also has to tie up operational funding and is looking for an
extra $215,000 a year to allow it to employ an extra staff person,
plus mental health and addictions counsellors and an advocate.

Vancouver Island Health Authority is negotiating with AVI, but
announced in January that funding to Victoria AIDS organizations
would be cut to allow for more services up-Island.

The funding is needed so AVI can get people off the street and hooked
into services, rather than simply handing out needles, said Katrina
Jensen, AVI acting executive director.

"We have said we are not going to move unless we have additional
supports in place. We don't want to move the same problem to another
neighbourhood," she said.

Extra staff will be needed to ensure a courtyard -- needed to get
clients off the public sidewalk -- does not turn into an informal
safe-injection site, Jensen said.

Foundations and non-profit organizations are being approached as well
as all levels of government, she said.

Lawyer Danielle Topliss, who works around the corner from Blanshard
and Cormorant, believes all levels of government must become involved
in such an urgent public-health issue.

"There's human fecal matter, needles -- used and unopened -- packages
of alcohol wipes, Band-Aids and all sorts of instruments used for
shooting up," she said.

"Right now it's a public-health hazard. Where is the solicitor
general? Where is the Department of Justice?"