DRUG PROBLEM NEEDLES NORTH PARK

Residents Want Action On Drug Problem

One of the last things North Park residents want to see when taking a
walk in their community is all of the residue left behind by drug
users who also frequent the neighbourhood. Whether it's dirty needles
tossed into a front garden or blood-stained alcohol swabs discarded in
playgrounds, drug abuse is more visible in Kristin Atwood's neck of
the woods than almost anywhere else in the Capital Region.

The chair of the North Park Neighbourhood Association (NPRA) wants to
get her neighbours more involved in efforts to clean up the ongoing
problem and encourage city hall to do more to address the social
ramifications of the illicit drug trade. The NPRA is hosting an
informal public forum March 14 to listen to the views of people who
live and work in the area.

"We're actually just trying to find out what the community is
concerned about and what they would like us, as their representatives,
to take to the city," says Atwood.

About 2,800 people live in the relatively small neighbourhood bounded
by Bay Street, Cook Street, Blanshard Street and Pandora Avenue. North
Park is home to the Aids Vancouver Island needle exchange on Cormorant
Street and VIHA's Withdrawal Management Services (the Victoria Detox,
Stabilization Unit, Sobering and Assessment Centre). It also sees a
lot of foot traffic generated by the Open Door and Our Place shelters
and various social services agencies that operate nearby.

The needle exchange recently announced that it's planning to move to
another area of town, in part due to complaints made by nearby
business owners.

"The people on Cormorant Street are obviously quite concerned about
the health and safety issues around drugs and needles, people peeing
in their doorways and that kind of thing," says Atwood. "Yes,
absolutely, the needle exchange is a very visible symptom of drug use
issues and the incidental crime that goes along with it."

But Cormorant Street isn't the only trouble spot in North Park and
moving that one facility won't solve the neighbourhood's drug problem,
according the NPRA. Drug dealing is a regular occurrence on side
streets near the Church of St. John the Divine and elsewhere in the
area.

"I think drug use is the main concern. Part of why we want to hold the
forum is because, a lot of times, the focus gets put on the needle
exchange and people forget that there are other (trouble) spots in the
neighbourhood," says Atwood.

"I don't think there is a 'drug central' in Victoria, but North Park
has historically had issues with drug use and homelessness."

Many homeless people used to sleep in Central Park until city crews
altered the landscaping to give police a better view from the street
of what was happening inside the park at night. That sort of "crime
prevention though environmental design" is one of the approaches that
the NPRA believes may help mitigate the ongoing drug problem in North
Park.

Atwood realizes that there is no "quick fix" for cleaning up her
neighbourhood, but she hopes the upcoming public forum will result in
a list of concerns and suggested solutions that the NPRA can present
to elected officials.

"We're looking for some immediate, practical things we can do to help
improve the quality of life for the neighbours - the residents and the
business owners - so we can actually go to city hall."

The North Park Neighbourhood Association will host its forum March 14
to discuss illegal drug use and its impact on the North Park
community.