NEEDLES RAISE FEAR OF DISEASE

Toddler Will Soon Undergo Testing After Used Syringe Is Found Amid
Backyard Toys

Weeks of worry continue for two Nanaimo parents who fear their
toddler son may have been poked by a dirty needle.

Despite a six-foot-high fence that surrounds their Kennedy Street
backyard, Hunter Vokins, 3, may have accidentally pricked himself
with a dirty drug needle while playing outside.

Kevin and Candus Vokins don't know if their son actually picked up
the needle, but they're not taking any chances after finding it
earlier this year among Hunter's toys.

"Never in a million years (did I think) I'd have to be checking my
yard for a dirty needle," said Kevin, who was shocked by the discovery.

"(The needle) might as well have been a dead body. It's not that I
never thought there was a (drug-related) problem here. (But) now
you're seeing flat-out junkies all over the place."

A doctor initially told the family to wait six months before testing
Hunter, due to the incubation period for different diseases.

Kevin has had nightmares about his son -- who will begin bloodwork in
the next few weeks -- testing positive.

The incident has made him "think a lot more," and he hopes to raise
awareness among other families.

Though he family has no plans to move, he thoroughly sweeps his
backyard on a regular basis.

The incident is a sobering reminder of the community's ongoing battle
with drugs that has worsened in recent years.

Residents fed up with drug activity, nuisance properties and
prostitution are battling back through a Block Watch program launched
by longtime Haliburton Street residents Doug and Tanya Hiltz after
the public drug death of Angel Campbell, 27, found on the street in July.

The Hiltzes encourage property perimeter checks and routinely pick up
needles while out on patrol.

Another resident who lives near the Vokins family reportedly pricked
himself with a needle and is also waiting for tests for such
conditions as HIV and hepatitis.