Leave needle exchange site open: council

By Roszan Holmen - Victoria News

 

Victoria city council is not ready to rule out playing landlord to a fixed-site needle exchange facility.

 

“When it comes to the delivery of harm-reducation supplies and services, you need to go where you’re going to have the maximum impact,” said Coun. Philippe Lucas.

 

That location might be public or private facility, he said. “It doesn’t make any sense to be self-limited as to where those services might be.”

 

His comments contradict recommendations by city staff.

 

“Any fixed needle exchange site (should) be owned and operated from an existing (Vancouver Island Health Authority) facility or other facilities owned by the province,” according to guidelines drafted by the city’s department of sustainability.

 

The document outlines the city’s draft criteria for any fixed-site needle exchange. Council intends to give the recommendations to VIHA, to ensure any future facility doesn’t run into the same problems faced by the old facility on Cormorant Street.

 

Siting harm reduction services in a public facility, municipal or provincial, gives the public some political means of responding to problems, Lucas said.

 

Last week, councillors ask staff to tweak the document to reflect these concerns.

 

rholmen@vicnews.com