The discovery of nearly a dozen hypodermic needles in a public bathroom has raised questions about the need for sharp containers throughout Delta.
On Oct. 5, Dillon Jones was doing some landscaping work in Tsawwassen and went to use the Pebble Hill Park men's washroom. There he discovered at least six needles strewn across the floor and more in the garbage cans.
Jones told the homeowner he was working for and the message was eventually relayed to neighbor Stephanie Toom who posted a warning on the Tsawwassen Loop (NEW) Facebook page. The post sparked a discussion about the need for sharp containers in public bathrooms.
“I was concerned for injury to park staff and to children who might get hurt too,” Toom wrote in a message to the Optimist.
Ken Kuntz, director of parks for the City of Delta, said while the problem is not widespread, city staff do occasionally find needles and are trained with how best to take care of them.
“We don't have publicly accessible sharp containers in most facilities,” Kuntz said. “We do have them in locations within the facility, but they're behind public areas, so they're not accessible to the public.”
Kuntz said Delta is researching what other municipalities' policies are regarding sharp containers in public facilities, acknowledging the evident need.
“Certainly people who have diabetes or who need to inject themselves, it is something we may need to look at and should be looking at,” he said.
Jones, who made the initial discovery of the needles, reflected on the situation saying the public needs to recognize the drug situation in Delta.
“It's about the community acknowledging that this has been going on for quite some time. It's just been under everybody's noses, but now it's more out in the open,” Jones said. “This happens in every little town and the more that we realize this we can work to make it somewhat better.”
