North End Halifax to get needle drop boxes in bid to reduce drug paraphernalia from the streets

Over 8,000 used needles and other drug paraphernalia have been collected from the streets of Halifax’s north end since April 2018, according to those on the frontlines of harm reduction.

“Since Mainline rolled out their Peer Navigator project — so the foot patrol you see, folks with backpacks — they’ve picked up well over 8,000 needles since April of last year, just in this community,” said Cindy MacIsaac, the director of Direction 180.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Since Mainline rolled out their Peer Navigator project — so the foot patrol you see, folks with backpacks — they've picked up well over 8,000 needles since April of last year, just in this community," said Cindy MacIsaac, the director of Direction 180.

In an effort to reduce the harmful amount of used drug equipment from remaining on the streets, Mainline sparked an initiative to put needle drop boxes throughout the area to increase access to safe disposal methods.

“You can have a needle stick poke, you could contract Hepatitis C from a needle stick poke. They’re dangerous if children are in an area and you get poked or play with them. It’s just generally safer for the public and our community to have as many boxes in the community as we can,” MacIsaac said.

The boxes are already used in other provinces, such as New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority funded the boxes for Halifax. North End Councillor, Lindell Smith, is supportive of the initiative.

“Growing up in the neighbourhood, I knew that it was an issue and as a kid finding needles in places. But being able to see firsthand the folks who are doing it every day and they know all the spots in finding needles but also other things in areas was definitely eye-opening in the sense that we need to look for solutions,” said Smith.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Growing up in the neighbourhood, I knew that it was an issue and as a kid finding needles in places. But being able to see firsthand the folks who are doing it every day and they know all the spots in finding needles but also other things in areas was definitely eye-opening in the sense that we need to look for solutions," said Smith.

Smith says he, along with Mainline, have presented city staff with a list of possible locations for the boxes.

“Right now, we’re trying to figure out locations that might be on HRM property and also partnering with other folks to see if there’s maybe some private places that they could be located. That way, we can get away from all the bureaucracy of trying to put something in a right-of-way of HRM,” he said.

This past decade, there has been an increase in national rates of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, according to the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.

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Nova Scotia saw a significant increase in HIV rates in 2018, rising from an annual average of 16 infections to 25.

The needle drop boxes would aid in the efforts to reduce the transmissions of such infectious diseases.