Lake Cowichan Mayor Ross Forrest has urged his Lake Cowichan council colleagues to look at taking more action on addiction and homelessness in Lake Cowichan.
Although only two homeless people were recorded in a recent count, the problem still deserves council attention, he said.
“This is a good day to talk about it since it’s Mental Health Day. In our community, we all see it out there. We see people with addictions, or people with mental health problems but we’re really not doing much about it.”
He said he attended a meeting recently and “it was pretty staggering what’s happening in the Cowichan, and the needle pick up program that they have. Lake Cowichan is new to it. There are a couple of drop boxes in Lake Cowichan that get picked up as part of the program. We are Zone 5 and we’re new to it but in the other four zones, they actually pick up a couple of thousand needles a month. We’re probably under 20 needles so we’re pretty lucky, but if there is any way we can help that process we should. One person stumbling across one needle is one too many.
“I’m not sure how much we can get involved. But there are volunteers involved in picking up needles and it’s important that they know we support them.
“At first, in the municipalities down there, if needles were found, North Cowichan, for instance, would send employees out to pick them up. That’s no longer the case because it was simply downloading to the municipalities. Now there are volunteer groups that pick up needles. .
“It’s time to discuss things like this,” Forrest said.
Coun. Carolyne Austin said the subject has been discussed in a public safety committee she attends, but warned, “If we sanctioned the general public to go out and pick up needles, we might be in trouble.”
Coun. Tim McGonigle said, “We’re dealing with this because senior levels of government have let us down. But we should endorse the work of the sharps pickup team.”
Coun. Bob Day suggested council could arrange a meeting with the volunteer group that are collecting needles.
“The problem of the two homeless is just the tip of the iceberg,” McGonigle said. “There are people couch surfing, who are living in cars, who are marginally employed, or who are suffering with addictions.”
Forrest returned to his first point, saying, “The best way we could help is through education, not just about needles, and not just for us. People need to know there is a safe drop-off place. Nobody wishes to become an addict but the abuse they take from the public means they don’t go to safe injection sites.”
Coun. Lorna Vomacka said the problems of addiction go far beyond obvious needle users. Some people become addicted to drugs after being given a prescription to help them with pain, she pointed out.
Forrest agreed with her, saying that addicts are not all obvious, either. Many are hiding behind a facade of normality, even success, he said.
“At some point we have to start discussing these problems. We can’t just ignore it. And, if we are aware of homeless people, we can try to connect with them somehow.”
Day agreed.
“Our two people deserve just as much attention as they do in Duncan.”
Meanwhile, Bear Hamilton of Lake Cowichan is telling Lake folks about the Lake Cowichan needle pick up program on Facebook.
It is a group of volunteers from the Lake Cowichan Junction Facebook group who, he said, “are organized and trained to safely dispose of discarded needles. This week alone we have safely disposed of 19 dirty needles which we have retrieved from various locations around town. It is reality folks, they are here.
“Please, if you find a needle, don’t touch it and put yourself at risk, call us and one of our team who is trained and equipped, will attend and safely dispose of it. We are independent from any department of the government and are not out to save the world but we care enough about our little town to help keep ourselves, our kids, and our pets free from getting stuck with a dirty needle.”
Hamilton also has advice for parents: “The potential consequences could be severe. Please take a moment and assure your kids know not to touch if they happen to come across one. Tell them to tell you or a teacher, and so we can be notified and dispose of it safely.”
The Lake Cowichan Sharps program number is 250-732-4100.
lexi.bainas@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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