Rural communities ask AMM for help cleaning up discarded needles

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Municipalities are growing increasingly concerned over discarded drug needles found in communities. Not only do they pose a safety hazard, they create a mess and confusion over who should clean them up.

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“Municipalities do not want to incur an extra expense to hire people or have their labour force clean up needles on a daily basis,” said Kathy Valentino, Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) interim president on Friday.

“It’s a concern; municipalities can’t afford to have another downloaded cost put on to them.”

AMM will host their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Nov. 25 in Winnipeg, and used needle cleanup will be on the agenda as a resolution being brought by the town of Swan River and co-sponsored by The Pas. They’re asking the province to address needle clean up and the distribution practices of harm reduction organizations that distribute clean needles and other drug paraphernalia.

Valentino said while discarded needles are a safety issue, especially if accessed by children, she worries that the clean-up will burden municipalities that she says are already stretched thin for money and resources.

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“No one is denying we need harm reductions programs, but it can’t be at the cost of the municipalities, because we’re broke,” Valentino said.

“The communities can’t afford to put resources into their operating budgets to clean up from a program that is not even their program.”

Valentino said she personally believes that harm reduction organizations that are handing out clean needles in Manitoba need to start taking more responsibility for the disposal of those needles, and says many municipal leaders agree.

“If a program is dispensing needles they have to be able to clean up the needles,” Valentino said.

The Pas Mayor Andre Murphy stated that used needles are piling up in his community. He is concerned because there aren’t any guidelines in place that indicates who is responsible for removing and discarding them, or who citizens should call when they find discarded needles.

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“There is no formal process for what to do when there are used needles, and it’s not just like there’s a 1-800 number you can call,” Murphy said.

Should the RM be forced to create more specific policies about needle disposal, he said that would be another cost to the community in terms of time and resources, and taxpayer’s money.

He added there are concerns that needle clean up could have additional costs because of the specific safety issues involved, and equipment that might be needed like gloves or other PPE.

“It takes resources to clean it up, and to do it safely,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he does not want to be viewed as critical of the work of the harm reduction organizations, and said the town has a “good relationship” with them.

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So far the province has been receptive to his concerns, he added, and he does expect to have conversations with Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Bernadette Smith about the issue before the Nov. 25 AGM.

It has gotten to the point where Murphy and the council can’t sit back while needles continue to pile up, and that is why the motion will be brought to AMM later this month.

“It’s not just an issue in this community, it’s really a province-wide issue,” Murphy said. “We need to have discussions with authorities to figure out how we create strategies around this, because this is already not sustainable, and I’m worried it’s only going to get worse.”

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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