LEAVE NEEDLE EXCHANGE SITE OPEN: COUNCIL

Victoria city council is not ready to rule out playing landlord to a
fixed-site needle exchange facility.

"When it comes to the delivery of harm-reducation supplies and
services, you need to go where you're going to have the maximum
impact," said Coun. Philippe Lucas.

That location might be public or private facility, he said. "It
doesn't make any sense to be self-limited as to where those services
might be."

His comments contradict recommendations by city staff.

"Any fixed needle exchange site (should) be owned and operated from an
existing (Vancouver Island Health Authority) facility or other
facilities owned by the province," according to guidelines drafted by
the city's department of sustainability.

The document outlines the city's draft criteria for any fixed-site
needle exchange. Council intends to give the recommendations to VIHA,
to ensure any future facility doesn't run into the same problems faced
by the old facility on Cormorant Street.

Siting harm reduction services in a public facility, municipal or
provincial, gives the public some political means of responding to
problems, Lucas said.

Last week, councillors ask staff to tweak the document to reflect
these concerns.