Pubdate: Tue, 04 Dec 2012 Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN) Copyright: 2012 The StarPhoenix Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400 Author: David Hutton CITY CLARIFIES NEEDLE EXCHANGE ZONING The City of Saskatoon will soon "clarify" the definition of medical clinics to include needle exchanges, with a report saying Saskatoon's harm reduction efforts are working to reduce the spread of HIV. The report - tabled Monday with city council's executive committee - is a response to a vocal group of residents and business owners in Caswell Hill and Mayfair who spoke out against the 601 Outreach Centre needle exchange operated by AIDS Saskatoon earlier this year. The AIDS Saskatoon needle exchange has operated for 3 1/2 years out of a nondescript building at 33rd Street and Avenue F. A number of nearby business owners say the needle exchange has residents and business owners fighting perceptions the area is unsafe. Some residents and business owners took issue with activity surrounding the needle exchange building. Needle exchanges are better suited for medical clinics, not drop-in centres, they told councillors. "It's attracting the drug trade," business owner Lori Prostebby told the committee. The needle exchange has not increased crime in the area, a Saskatoon police report says. There has been no evidence that "makes a direct connection between criminal activities in the area to the AIDS Saskatoon office, or the work they do, or the programs they provide for their clients," the report says. Prostebby's concerns sparked a report from administration that examined where needle exchanges should be allowed to locate in Saskatoon. The definition of a "medical clinic" in the city's land use and zoning bylaw does not specifically mention needle exchanges, but the administration will undertake a review with the intention of re-writing the definition and clearing up the ambiguity. The change will require council approval after public hearings next year. Needle exchanges would be formally permitted in commercial areas such as strip malls where medical clinics are allowed, but would always reside with other health-care services. The needle exchanges offer the only "point of contact" with formal health care for some members of the community, said Lynne Lacroix, manager of community development for the city. "We'll be taking a look at what is already occurring in terms of where needle exchanges are already located," Lacroix said. "They are never a stand-alone facility. They provide education and counselling and a needle exchange is one component of what they do." Although critics have long opposed giving clean needles to drug addicts on moral grounds, the consensus among public health experts - including the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association - is that the strategy works to reduce the spread of HIV. Dr. Johnmark Opondo, the Saskatoon Health Region's deputy medical health officer, told the committee needle exchanges and other harm reduction efforts such as methadone clinics "must be located close to where people live and where other complementary services exist." The number of new HIV infections has dropped alongside the annual number of needles found in the community, a report to the committee said. "Needle exchange programs are one component of a suite of comprehensive health and social supports and need to be considered within a broader context of the work that is occurring within our community with respect to the issue of drug use and addressing the needs of intravenous drug users and other vulnerable populations on multiple fronts," the city report says. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom