Beginning Wednesday – that’s May 1st – City Hall is launching a pilot project aimed at sharps – hypodermic needles left lying on the ground and not properly disposed of.
Community programs manager Meagan Baranyk says anyone can report them to Service Timmins.
“They can call, or they can submit a service ticket, or they can walk in,” she notes, adding that that will result in public works being dispatched to pick them up.
“City staff and most of my community safety and wellbeing partners actually are trained on safe needle handling and that’s done through the Porcupine Health Unit.”
Baranyk says there was a lot of back-and-forth on whether needles should also be picked up on private property.
“What we determined is that it’s also important to prioritize public spaces for need pick-up and to maximize that impact of the service.
Private property carries with it liability and legal concerns.
Our full interview with Baranyk is posted here.