COUNCIL DECISION ON NEEDLE SERVICES IRRESPONSIBLE

Re: Council Briefs, Aug. 20

Keith Vass informs us in this article that 'the City of Victoria
won't seek to regulate location of needle exchange services through
zoning amendments.'

This outrageous dereliction of duty on the part of the Victoria city
council follows a July letter sent by Mayor Alan Lowe encouraging the
Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) to dispense hypodermic
needles out of all of its facilities.

This is a pathetic, stealthy betrayal by the mayor and council of the
public interest, particularly that of parents of vulnerable children
at the nearby Victoria Conservatory of Music, St. Andrew's elementary
and preschool and Christ Church Cathedral Preschool.

When parents convened an emergency meeting at the St. Andrew's gym
earlier this year, they were given assurances by Victoria city Coun.
Charlayne Thornton-Joe, VIHA CEO Howard Waldner, the school's
principal Keifer Pollard, the Superintendent of Catholic Schools Joe
Colistro (representing the Bishop of Victoria) and other worthies
that their legitimate concerns for the safety of their children were
heard and would be brought to the attention of the council.

The overwhelming majority of parents, neighbours and other concerned
citizens attending the meeting opposed the siting of a so-called
'needle exchange service' in the new Our Place facility on Pandora
Avenue. Parents were horrified at the obvious failure of the needle
dispensary on Cormorant Street to reduce addiction and social
disorder (overt public injections and drug dealing, defecation on
private property, needles, condoms and other debris left everywhere, etc.).

They later presented a petition asking that city council not allow
such facilities anywhere near schools, pre-schools or playgrounds. By
choosing not to bring in zoning changes, the irresponsible council
has completely dropped the ball, leaving innocent children vulnerable.

Instead of continuing to enable poor, sick active addicts to stay
mired in their deadly addictions, the City of Victoria should
prohibit the siting of any such facilities near vulnerable children,
as the parents requested.

They should then start to offer rehab and abstinence-based
residential treatment programmes in conjunction with successful
self-help groups to help these addicts recover, regain their health
and become productive members of society again.

Gregory Hartnell, president Concerned Citizens' Coalition