City of Parksville efforts to regulate the distribution of needles are no more after a provincial decision. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

sharps

Parksville’s controversial needle bylaw officially struck down by health minister

Jun 2, 2020 | 4:38 PM

PARKSVILLE — Efforts by City of Parksville councillors to control the distribution of needles and prevent sharps from being found in the community have come to an end.

A statement from the ministry of health to NanaimoNewsNOW confirmed health minister Adrian Dix approved a ministry staff recommendation to reject the bylaw on May 18.

“The bylaw restricts access to health services,” the statement said about why Dix didn’t approve the bylaw.

The bylaw initially sought to restrict handing out clean needles unless a clean one was returned, requiring the needle be retractable and have the distributors label on the syringe. References to needleless devices and the distributors label was later removed from the proposed bylaw.

Minister Dix’s decision brings to an end the year-long struggle Parksville councillors have had to implement a needle restriction bylaw which was unlikely to ever be approved.

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During their Monday, June 1 meeting, Parksville CAO Keeva Kehler said staff were informally told the bylaw wouldn’t be approved but there wasn’t an offered timeline to receive such a decision.

Her staff report, written one day after Dix made his decision, recommended councillors accept the report and keep the bylaw at second reading.

Councillors voted unanimously to accept the report and not make a decision.

Mayor Ed Mayne, who initially brought the bylaw to the table, said he was unimpressed with the ministry of health response to discarded needles.

“Should we be more concerned about the vast majority of people within the City of Parksville or should we be concerned about the few that are discarding these needles?” he asked.

“We’ve got to stop this, I don’t know how we’re going to do it.”

Mayne claimed the number of improperly discarded needles found in the community is increasing.

Last year, medical health officer Dr. Paul Hasselback said roughly 98 per cent of sharps are returned.

“I actually suspect what is being proposed is counterproductive, relative to the outcomes council is trying to achieve,” Hasselback said at the time.

He also said needle disposal boxes were also returned to Island Health by the City of Parksville instead of being installed.

Parkville is not alone in grappling with discarded needles.

A resolution brought forward to the Union of B.C. Municipalities requested ongoing provincial funding to local governments to cover the cost of cleaning up needles and drug paraphernalia was endorsed in 2019.

The ministry of health responded by saying it recommended creating peer-based syringe recovery programs, installing sharps disposal bins in public spaces and encouraging substance users to return their needles.

An Oceanside Community Action Team was funded by the province to tackle issues related to mental health and addictions in late 2019.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit