More concerns are being raised about the proliferation of discarded needles in city parks and public spaces just two weeks after a young girl poked herself on a used hypodermic in Beacon Hill Park.
Ian Mathieson, who moved near Beacon Hill Park a couple of months ago, said he so regularly finds discarded needles in the park that he’s worried about walking his dog on the paths and will no longer play soccer barefoot in the park.
“I found some yesterday just behind my car on Heywood, and when I’m walking through the park, I find them on the trail,” he said. “I have a dog and I don’t really feel like going there any more.”
Two weeks ago, a girl from South Park Elementary School had her hand punctured by a needle discarded in Beacon Hill Park.
Mathieson, 30, believes more should be done to provide services for the homeless. “I mean if their best option is to sleep in the park, then they don’t really have very good options.”
Mayor Lisa Helps said city parks crews conduct sweeps of Beacon Hill Park for needles every morning and anyone who spots needles should contact the city.
“The appropriate thing to do is for people to contact [the city parks department] and let them know precisely these locations and the times and then we can respond,” Helps said, adding that cleaning up after those sheltering in the parks is “resource intensive.”
“But we want to make sure that parks are welcoming and safe for everyone, including people who want to play barefoot soccer, including kids. That’s really a priority for the parks department.”
Marg Gardiner, president of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association, said discarded needles are just one of the concerns about people sheltering in parks, adding the problem is not limited to Beacon Hill Park. Some parents have told her they regularly patrol areas near the water in Fisherman’s Wharf Park before allowing their kids to play and explore.
“They don’t let the kids near it until they go down to clear anything that may be a danger,” Gardiner said.
Coun. Ben Isitt said he’s not aware of an increase in complaints about needles in parks, but would like to see an expansion of needle-disposal boxes in city parks. The city has needle-deposit boxes in several parks, including Beacon Hill.
Isitt said he hopes with the pending change in provincial government, more supports will be available for people with addictions and mental-health problems.
“I think the objective of free treatment on demand is now a completely realistic possibility with the incoming government,” Isitt said. Improvements in treatment will mean fewer people sheltering in parks and ultimately, fewer discarded needles, he said.
But Coun. Geoff Young said the city is handling a disproportionate share of problems created by homelessness and addictions. He said more resources should be going into providing temporary accommodation for homeless people. “We should have sufficient amount of temporary accommodation so that we can prohibit camping in the parks.”
Young said installation of additional garbage cans and needle drop-off boxes is a partial fix at best.
“The fact is that parks are not designed to be used as residential accommodation at night,” he said. “It just doesn’t work and we’ve seen time and time again that it doesn’t work.”
