DIRTY NEEDLES ALARM WORKER

At first, Dennis Patterson thought it was a Popsicle stick he saw in
the grass Tuesday.

But as the Trophic Canada employee cycled to work at 6:30 a.m. on
Power Street in Penticton, he noticed another one, and then a third,
at relatively regular intervals. When he saw a fourth one, he got off
his bike to investigate and found something which horrified him.

The items were not Popsicle sticks, but hypodermic needles with
droplets of what looked like blood in the barrels.

"It really upset me," said Patterson. "This was right across from the
Queen's Park Elementary School playground, and all I could think was
the children will be starting to arrive at school soon."

Patterson picked the needles up and notified local authorities. What
they were used for didn't matter to Patterson. What mattered was the
potential for injury, not to mention possible health risk, to an
elementary school student.

The school was interested in the needles, said Patterson. He was told
the school would search the grounds to rule out the possibility of
more needles.

Staff at City Hall also informed him they would look around their side
of the street -- the grounds of the Penticton Trade and Convention
Centre, where a conference of wastewater professionals is underway.

Patterson added that city staff told him the needles should be taken
to the hospital, where they can be disposed of safely.