St. Patrick’s debate tackles discarded needles
The three candidates for St. Patrick’s ward are unanimous in wanting a safe injection site to tackle the opioid crisis and help reduce the number of discarded needles in the city’s downtown and beyond.
It was just one of the questions Robin McPherson, Karrie Porter and incumbent Mat Siscoe were asked to address during a wellattended debate Monday night that touched on such matters as safety, gun violence, libraries and cultural funding.
“There’s no question we need to work with all levels of government to make sure the safe injection site is open as well we have enough mental health and addiction treatment beds in our community,” said McPherson at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
McPherson said it’s a crisis and added that everything must be done to support front-line workers to ensure they have all the supports they need as well.
More than 100 people came out to the event hosted by the St. Catharines Downtown Association and moderated by Jennifer Wallace. The candidates, vying for two city council spots, had to be informed on a wide variety of topics as they were asked 20 questions by the moderator and the audience for more than two hours.
One of those questions was about their plans to reduce the number of needles disposed of in public areas and if those plans would include an overdose prevention site.
Siscoe said he’s hoping the provincial government, which paused the plans for a safe injection site, will see the error of its ways and move forward with it.
“I do think that a safe injection site is a part of the puzzle with respect to trying to solve the issues or at least mitigate the harm that exists because of the opioid crisis,” he said.
Siscoe said one of his concrete steps was creating a task force at the city to look at safety issues in general in downtown and that included the issue of needles. The task force is looking at the feasibility of installing tamper proof needle boxes and is working to identify places where the boxes would actually be used by people.
He said the city also needs to look at the feasibility of shelter services in downtown St. Catharines that would bring together public services, social services, police, public health, mental health councsellors and addiction counsellors.
“We’re not going to be able to simply treat this the way the war
on drugs has treated it,” he said. “We need to try something new and I think this is an approach that will work, bringing the services to the people that need them and making sure they have access to the mental health care they need as well.”
Porter said the city has lost far too many lives to the opioid crisis and a key is lobbying the provincial government for a safe injection site.
Secondly, she said St. Catharines needs a permanent shelter downtown.
Porter said Out of the Cold, which houses homeless people overnight in the winter, was meant to be a temporary solution years ago to a very serious problem when Ontario Works rates were rolled back.
“They never caught up. Things have gotten worse. Drugs are different now and we need a permanent safe place that is well resourced to help get people the treatment they need,” she said.
Porter said the city needs to work with every level of government and work on prevention, look at the causes of trauma and how to help people with their trauma.
When it comes to needle cleanup, Porter said there are ideas like a park ambassador that the city of Toronto uses which St. Catharines can explore. She said park ambassadors are well trained, clean up needles and work with people to get them to the services they need, as well as work with residents and business owners.
The municipal election is Oct. 22.
Karena.Walter @niagaradailies.com 905-225-1628 | @karena_standard