Pubdate: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2010 Times Colonist Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange) VICTORIA COUNCIL IMPLORED TO HAVE FIXED NEEDLE EXCHANGE SITES IN CITY Victoria will continue to work with the Vancouver Island Health Authority to try to improve harm-reduction services in the city in the wake of a lengthy council session on the subject Thursday. About 50 speakers implored council to ensure fixed needle-exchange and supervised consumption sites are established in the city. "We're continuing to keep this on the front burner," Fortin said yesterday. Fortin said council has asked city staff to bring in VIHA officials for an update on the "distributed" model of needle-exchange services. In that model, needles are distributed from multiple health authority offices that are open to the public. "We recognize that's key to all the other things we're working on. Having a robust distributed model allows us to move forward because then you don't have the honey-pot effect." Victoria's fixed needle exchange on Cormorant Street shut down two years ago after it was evicted in the wake of complaints from neighbours about people loitering outside causing disturbances, as well as discarded needles, human waste and litter. Since then, mobile needle exchange services have been operating. The mass appeal to council to take action was organized by Harm Reduction Victoria, which maintains that despite Victoria councillors identifying harm reduction as one of their top seven priorities, the city has actually lost ground because of the closure of the Cormorant facility. The group wants the city to provide a central property for a harm-reduction resource centre that would include supervised consumption services, needle exchange and counselling. Ultimately, Fortin said, that's VIHA's responsibility and not an issue about who is the landlord. "It's not about having a city-owned site, it's about having the right location -- the right location with the right supports in place to make it work." Harm Reduction Victoria also wants an end to the police and VIHA-sanctioned "no-go zone" that restricts distribution of needles and other harm-reduction supplies between Blanshard, Chambers, Balmoral and Yates streets. Fortin said it's a complex issue and progress has come more slowly than some would like to see. "But there has been movement and we're going to continue to play our role as advocates and partners in this to make it move forward. But we are committed to doing it right." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake