SAFE NEEDLES A STICKING POINT

For the last four years, volunteers have worked tirelessly to make our city
safe, while the needle exchange program hands out syringes to drug users
upon request.

It's a dangerous program, paid for with our tax dollars and it should be
scrapped. As ludicrous as it may sound, the provincial government requires
that municipalities provide clean needles to drug users. What's worse, is
that municipalities cannot opt out of this deadly piece of legislation.

If you think it's hard to get things changed at city hall, you ain't seen
nothing until you try to amend provincial or federal rules. Not that the
city of Ottawa has made any moves to get the needle exchange program abolished.

Meanwhile, used syringes continue to be found in our parks, schoolyards and
roadsides. While a few councillors do support the volunteers, nobody has
had the guts to forward a motion to cut the funding for a program that puts
the lives of its citizens at risk. So what if the province says it's
mandatory. It wouldn't be the first time a city council told the province
to take a hike. Surely, they wouldn't all be thrown in jail for defying a
provincial law that is totally void of common sense.

So, what are the volunteers to do? They are tired of pleading and tired of
cleaning up after thoughtless drug addicts.

They've been searching for a solution for years, with little help from city
officials. Volumes of research have been gathered by this dedicated lot and
they've even shared their findings with the city's health department.
Unfortunately, it all fell on deaf ears until the volunteers called their
own press conference this week.

Knowing how slow the wheels of government turn and that the needle exchange
program will likely be around for awhile, they have now proposed a totally
safe retractable syringe.

The United States made these "safe" needles mandatory last July. What are
we waiting for in Canada? Perhaps the powers-that-be are reluctant to
infringe on the rights of injection drug users.

Maybe the fact each one of these syringes cost almost $1 is scaring them
off. With all the waste in government, I think it's time they got our
priorities straight.

The community volunteers felt they had no alternative but to go to the
media with their new findings, because the public health department hasn't
budged since they received a sample of the retractable needle last March.

How many more of our police officers need to get pricked by a used needle
before this issue gets onto a health committee agenda? This week, Det.
Isobel Anderson recalled those vivid memories of terror when a needle was
left hanging in the palm of her hand during an arrest.

For a whole year, she lived in fear, having to take a "cocktail" that made
her terribly ill, undergoing regular tests for Hepatitis C, knowing it
could happen to her or her colleagues again in the line of duty.

All this trauma because nobody has the backbone to stand up against drug
lobby groups and the government. Shame on us.

Now that the community has done most of the work and our health department
has a sample of a "safe" retractable needle that meets its criteria, all we
need is a motion from city council to buy them, until the provincial
government comes to its senses and wipes this program off the books.

Here's a sample motion that could get the ball rolling:

"Whereas the city of Ottawa's primary goal is to ensure the safety of its
citizens,

"And whereas the provincial government makes needle exchange programs
mandatory,

"Be it resolved that, the city of Ottawa immediately adopt the use of
retractable syringes for a period of one year, for all city public health
programs.

"And that Ottawa opt out of the needle exchange program after one year if
the provincial government refuses to ban the program."

So there you have it, all neatly packaged and ready to go. The community
has taken the bull by the horns and laid the facts and the solution on the
table. Now it's up to city council. Nays or Yeas please?

But we can't let the province off the hook either. Ottawa has four
government MPPS, three of which are cabinet members.

They should be carrying the ball for us, introducing legislation to abolish
needle exchange programs and making it mandatory that only retractable
syringes be used in hospitals, clinics and anywhere else needles are required.

Kudos to the community volunteers for not giving up on such a vital issue.
Hopefully, your bold move this week will shake up the politicians enough to
finally take notice.