Cobourg councillors have unanimously supported the installation of a needle disposal bin in the name of harm reduction.
The discussion at this week's council meeting came after an appeal from Green Wood Coalition Executive Director David Sheffield and two staffers from the Peterborough AIDS Resource Network.
“We view harm reduction for people who use drugs as a health issue, not a moral issue,” Sheffield stated.
A study conducted in Montreal in 2010 demonstrated the overwhelming effectiveness of public syringe-disposal boxes, reducing up to 80% the number of syringes left to litter public places and pose a hazard to members of the community.
Closer to home, a similar result has been seen since Cobourg's Transition House acquired disposal boxes for shelter clients to use.
PARN Harm Reduction Outreach Worker for Northumberland County Mackenzie Clark said the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Unit would supply the box – 23 inches wide, 52 inches tall, about the size of a public mailbox. If council approved its installation, surveys and feedback would begin on choosing the best location.
The town could bill the health unit for the installation at the selected site, and Clark would monitor the box and dispose of its contents appropriately (as well as conduct weekly sweeps of the vicinity).
“I think this is a wonderful idea, but the only issue I have is that there is more than one problem area in the downtown for used needles,” Councillor Adam Bureau said.
“What we have found is, doing this as a staged process works really well,” PARN Prevention and Education Co-ordinator Dylan Demarsh said.
“We started with a couple in Peterborough and we are up to seven.
“I would suggest this is the beginning of a process, not so much the end.”
Councillor Emily Chorley pointed out that a disposal box is already located in the bus shelter at Rotary Waterfront Park.
Clark said she had seen similar amenities in similar locations, but has found they are not used as much as one would hope – largely because a location like a bus shelter can be so busy and crowded at times that users do not feel comfortable disposing of their syringes there. A more open location like a park is more likely to provide them with the comfort and anonymity they would wish when making a disposal.
Deputy Mayor Suzanne Seguin's motion called for the town to co-ordinate with Northumberland County, Green Wood Coalition, the health unit and PARN in making a site selection and getting a safe disposal box installed.