NEEDLE NUMBERS SHOOT UP

City Recovers 507,692 Syringes Used By Addicts In 2008, Up From
300,000 Collected In Previous Year

Last year the City of Ottawa recovered more than half a million dirty
needles used by drug addicts.

In a memo that will be sent to city councillors today, Ottawa's
Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Isra Levy, says the needles have been
retrieved through a variety of means, including needle drop boxes,
needle hunters and residents who have picked up dirty needles in
their neighbourhood.

The 507,692 needles is almost double the number retrieved by the city
in 2007, when it took in about 300,000. The bulk of the needles, more
than 273,000, were returned by addicts in exchange for clean needles.
Nearly 230,000 needles were returned via the medical drop boxes.

Since June 2008 the city has stepped up its effort to take as many
needles off city streets, primarily because of complaints by angry
residents in the Sandy Hill area.

Residents were reporting finding used needles on their lawns, on
sidewalks and on the street. Some residents had also reported they
had stepped on and been cut by discarded needles.

The city has involved more departments in the search and retrieval of
dirty needles, including surface operations, solid waste, bylaw,
police, parks and recreation, transit and traffic and parking.

The city's solid waste department reported an increase in the number
of used needles left in curbside residential garbage last year and,
to make sure its workers remain safe, now reports such occurrences to
the Ottawa Public Health department. If necessary, the solid waste
department will also recommend the area where the needles were found
needs to be better monitored and proper needle disposal information
distributed in the neighbourhood.

EARLY STAGES

"We are very happy with the way it's working," said Levy. "We are
getting more of them off the street. But it's still in its early stages."

Last summer the city's health department hired Causeway, whose
"needle hunters" swept downtown streets picking up dirty syringes.
The company has been hired again for 2009 and directed to expand the
number of hours it looks for discarded needles. The number of
communities swept for needles has also been expanded to include
Byward Market, Lowertown, Centretown, Hintonburg and Vanier.

The city will also continue to provide a hotline to those who want to
call in and let the city know where needles have been found.

Summer students hired by the health department will also continue to
monitor "needle hotspots" in the city.

"Up to 15 sites were monitored on a daily basis throughout the summer
and fall of 2008. The areas changed throughout the monitoring period
due to the transient nature of the intravenous drug user population,"
says the report. However, that part of the program wasn't as
successful as others -- it only recovered 10 needles -- but will
resume in the spring.

Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien supports the program but agrees with Levy
that the city needs to take further steps to make sure residents are safe.

"While this progress is encouraging, our work isn't over yet," said O'Brien.

"We need to build on this success and continue to work together to
improve safety and health for the citizens of Ottawa."

FIRST UPDATE

A report on the Enhanced Discarded Clean Needle Syringe Recovery
Program will also be tabled at the city's community and protective
services committee meeting later this week and will be the first
update councillors will have received since the program was launched last June.

DISCARDED NEEDLES

From Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2008:

- - Needles Retrieved from Needle Drop Boxes 229,400

- - Needle Hotline 247

- - Proactive Monitoring 10

- - Needles Retrieved By other City Services 1,270

- - Needle Hunters 3,350

- - Returns 273,415

Total 507,692

Source: City of Ottawa