A Vancouver mother feels unsafe taking her kid to a local park, MacLean Park, after finding dozens of used needles on the playground.
Katie Lewis went to take her four-year-old to their usual spot in Strathcona, on Saturday. But when she saw the needles, Lewis had to pull her child away.
“We found that the park was just strewn with needles,” Lewis told CTV News.
When her husband called 311 to inform the city, they said it would take one business day because they contract the service out.
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As it was Saturday, that meant it would take 48 hours before anyone came to clean up the used needles.
Lewis took the matter into her own hands, donning gloves to clean them up herself.
“I don’t think that’s acceptable,” she said. “This isn’t a candy wrapper on the ground. This is dangerous for kids.”
Used Needles Not a Risk
Vancouver Coastal Health responded, ensuring parents that the “risk to the public is extremely low.”
“No one has ever acquired HIV, or any other pathogen, from a needle-stick injury from a discarded needle in a park or any other public place in Vancouver,” said Vancouver Coastal Health in a statement.
For people living in the neighbourhood, this isn’t a surprise. Several youth told CTV News they’ve been taught about what to do when situations like this occur.
“It makes me sad, but it’s also part of the reality,” Lewis said. “This is a disease and we’re not managing it. There’s a lot of people struggling right now, but at the same time I really want to keep my family safe.”
To read related stories, read about the B.C. Government’s year-round homeless shelter in Richmond. Or get to know what 8 B.C. cities were named some of Canada’s most dangerous places In Canada.
For more news in Metro Vancouver, check out our News section.
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