Penticton city council approves strategy to deal with needles in public places

PENTICTON – A plan to reduce the number of needles left on Penticton streets has been approved by city council today.

Ian Gerbrandt with One Sky Community Resources represented a coalition of community partners at city council today, May 22, in a bid for a few in-kind requests from the city in order to help the Sharps Committee provide their program to the community. Seventeen committee members provided input, which included representatives from Interior Health, the RCMP, the city and several local societies.

The committee asked for help from city staff to identify and confirm locations where needle drop boxes should be located including parks and washrooms. The committee also asked for the city's help to install the boxes.

Gerbrandt said the committee has 20 washroom-style sharps containers, of which 10 are suitable for outdoor use. There is also an end of the line disposal unit that would be located at the city yards on Okanagan Avenue.

Coun. Andre Martin wanted to know what criteria would be used to qualify the program’s success, and if there would be comparisons between the needles being distributed and those being collected.

Gerbrandt said calculations would always be a “ballpark” figure, but noted emergency personnel already collecting needles would have knowledge of existing numbers as well as the locations of hot spots that should decline once using the drop boxes become normal practise. A simple tracking form will be used to record information on locations and bins, and the number of needles collected.

Council directed staff to work with the committee to find suitable needle drop box locations.

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