By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

“Not Another Needle” rally takes to steps of Lethbridge City Hall

Jun 15, 2018 | 12:16 PM

LETHBRIDGE – As vehicle horns beeped with approval and people stopped their vehicles to sign the “Not Another Needle” petition, about two dozen citizens held up signs indicating they’re tired of seeing discarded needle debris throughout the city.

Sarah Villebrun, a former addict herself, says they’re looking for accountability from ARCHES for the number of needles given out, and they are advocating for a comprehensive needle exchange program.

“The current mandate is as many as they want, as often as they want, with no expectation of return…That is an unacceptable policy that is in place. If they’re going to be handing out needles by the fistful, you need to have something in place to say these come back, whatever.”

Villebrun says she’s lived in Lethbridge her entire life, and in the last few years, she and many others have seen the amount of discarded needle debris increase to unacceptable levels. She says that even when she was an addict, needles weren’t haphazardly discarded as often as they are now.

“I did do needles. And nobody, not a single person, or I, used needles and threw our needles on the street. There was the occasional time where we would find a needle and we’re like, ‘whoever this dirty person is’, and it was dealt with within our own drug community. There was lot more pride in addiction I guess if you want to call it that. Like, a pride in addiction that we weren’t throwing our stuff everywhere.”

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Villebrun and other rally members are also advocating for the use of retractable needles, an option which she admits ARCHES has tried out, but believes the organization hasn’t explored thoroughly.

“Whatever needle they tried, they said it was breaking the veins….so they stopped testing with these needles. Well, that is only one of the many kinds of retractable needles that are out there. There’s self-destructing needles, there’s needles with caps that can flip over…some of these should be put in place. If you can not stop the needles, make it safe for our kids.”

And she explains that members aren’t opposed to much of the work ARCHES does, but it’s the number of syringes that are found on city streets, in parks, alleys, near businesses etc. that they believe is compromising the safety of citizens.

“The Safe Consumption Site is saving lives, period. The problem is not with ARCHES as a whole. They have many amazing programs that most of the community doesn’t know about…so the fact that they are getting more money to expand the booths and ease up the resources on EMS and stuff like that is amazing. The needle distribution is the only problem we have.”

A local petition that has been circulating for the last few weeks now has about 3,000 signatures. Villebrun says they’ve also received several letters from local businesses supporting their efforts. When the number of signatures reaches at least 10,000 then copies of it will be sent to all levels of government, along with copies of the letters.

Rally Spokesperson Admits Some Discarded Syringes May Be Deliberately Planted

Mayor Chris Spearman says he’s been hearing about a few members of the community deliberately planting needles in parks and other areas, to make it appear as though the problem is worse than it is.

“I will be very disappointed if that indeed is happening. I’m getting reports from people who are involved in the security of the downtown saying they’ve witnessed it. And we’re getting reports of needles being found in places where we haven’t had them previously. In some of our more remote residential parks. Certainly, that concerns me, if people are inflaming the issue.”

Rally spokesperson Sarah Villebrun admits that she’s heard the same thing, and believes as well, that it may indeed be happening.

“I’m not gonna lie, there’s been sometimes that I’ve questioned (it). Just last night I got some photographs sent to me. Somebody was snapping off the end of the needle, and then throwing them. So, you have children’s safety in mind, but you’re throwing the needles? But we do think that that was in fact, a staged thing.”

However, she’s also quick to point out that while an addict is not likely to snap off the end of a needle, then discard it, the issue is that even non-addicts are able to access free needles just to throw them away.

“Clean needles or infected needles, they should not be on the street. Staged or not. And that goes back to why are you handing out that many for people to be able to stage stuff like that?”

Spearman says the City wants citizens’ concerns about discarded syringes to be dealt with as a health issue, so that experts in that field can get a handle on it. From his perspective, Spearman says they need to have the best possible information to be able to take the next steps appropriate for the city.