By Dominic Abassi

Daily needle sweeps in Nanaimo parks ending soon, as staff pursue new solutions

Mar 14, 2018 | 1:28 PM

NANAIMO — The City of Nanaimo needs a new strategy to clean up needles from parks, as a concerned parent’s frustration grows over the glacial pace of bureaucracy.

The City’s manager of parks operations Al Britton confirmed daily needle sweeps at problem parks, currently being performed by parks staff, will soon end. He said his department can handle the clean up workload right now but by the end of the month at the latest they’ll need to resume spring and summer duties, like grass cutting and tending to flower beds.

Currently staff sweep 10 “hot spot” parks each morning, with an additional pass of Comox Park added in the evening due to it being used as the playground for nearby Ecole Pauline Haarer.

The needle sweeps are performed despite no additional funding or manpower provided to the parks department.

Alison Evans, a parent of students at Pauline Haarer, once again appeared before Nanaimo Council this week, imploring them to continue the needle sweeps. She also said nighttime security in the area, which the City partially subsidizes with the school district, is making a difference.

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“There must be some areas of sanctuary for children. A playground should be for playing, learning and carefree fun with friends…This should be a right for children,” Evans said.

She told NanaimoNewsNOW she’s frustrated with apparent inaction by the City and a lack of direction from Council.

Evans first appeared before Council on Jan. 22, sharing a story of her daughter apparently being pricked by a needle in Comox Park. Since then her issue has been passed between Council and committees several times without any clear direction.

“It’s extremely frustrating to see the lack of ability for a tax-paying individual to come and have their concerns taken seriously given that it’s such a big issue that is all over Nanaimo and it involves children…It’s very frustrating to be here two months later getting passed back and forth between meetings.”

Evans sparred with councillors on several occasions during Monday’s meeting, asking them to remain focused on the issue of needles in City parks, clearly define what action they would take and not confuse the issue with discussion about what the school district or province was doing.

Coun. Bill Bestwick said he had no notes or reports on what had happened since her last appearance in front of Council, telling Evans she had more information on the matter than he did.

“That’s the problem,” she replied.

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong, chair of the City’s public safety committee, told NanaimoNewsNOW she disagrees with the concept there was a lack of action.

She said staff are clearing Comox Park twice a day and they don’t have the budget for full-time security. Armstrong said parks staff have other priorities and if those fall off, then complaints about poorly kept playing fields will rise.

“We have to balance the needs of the entire community along with Comox,” Armstrong said. “If we’re going to focus more resources there I’m sure we’re going to get parents in other areas requesting the exact same thing…What we do for one I believe we should be doing for all.”

She said it might be time to consider some citizen-based solutions, like a “take back your neighbourhood” style approach. “I know sometimes people don’t like to hear we need to take responsibility but sometimes we need to…How as a community can we pull together, not just Council and paid staff.”

After more than an hour of debate spanning multiple loosely related topics, Council directed staff to meet with the school board on the issue and return at the March 19 meeting with options and budgets.

That’s despite the fact Armstrong and Britton informed councillors they regularly communicate with the district on the matter.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi