It’s a problem that has been plaguing Lethbridge for some time now: the discarding of used and dirty needles.
So far, these needles have been found across the entire city — in playgrounds, on people’s property and on city streets, and now, even in a pool.
“My partner took my daughter to the pool on Saturday and probably about an hour and a half in he calls me and he’s like, ‘we have to get out of the pool,’” said Miste Moore, a concerned parent in Lethbridge, “and I asked, ‘for what?’ And he said, ‘there’s a needle in the pool!’”
It’s an unexpected issue they hoped they wouldn’t have to face in the safe surroundings of a city pool. But as the needle epidemic continues in Lethbridge, it’s become a harsh reality for this unsuspecting family.
“They are everywhere,” said Moore, still in shock over the recent incident. “And you never think that you’re going to have to be that parent that has to explain this to your three-year-old or six-year-old.”
The needle that was found in the shallow pool at Stan Siwik in North Lethbridge on Saturday afternoon was capped, officials say, but it nonetheless left this family feeling stunned and infuriated.
“At first I was angry,” Moore said, “because my daughter was physically in this pool and what if she stepped on it or what if something was in it and it had gotten into the water?”
However, it wasn’t only visitors upset by this incident, but workers at the facility, too, were shocked to see a needle make its way into the water.
“Personally, I’m a little bit disgusted by it,” said Brad Pack, general manager for Recreation Rxcellence, which operates the pools within the city.
“But unless we’re getting people to empty their pockets before they come in, it’s tough for us to stop that kind of thing.”
As shocking as it was to discover the needle, safety precautions were quickly taken by members of the team, which involved evacuating the pool for just over an hour while workers commenced a thorough cleanup.
After assessing the risks, officials added they don’t believe the needles posed a risk to other swimmers in the water at the time. One child, however, did come into physical contact with it.
“A young child did handle the needle, but I’m not at liberty for confidentiality reasons to elaborate any further on that,” Pack said.
Officials added that the safety of visitors is paramount and they are reviewing current policies to ensure any changes needed to create a safer environment are being taken — changes that the Moore family hope to see across the entire city very soon.
“We can’t change addiction. We can’t and we don’t even know if it was needle used from someone suffering with addiction, but we can make positive changes.”
However, needle debris isn’t a problem exclusive only to Lethbridge, as several other areas across the country continue to battle against keeping themselves and their loved ones safe.
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