Addiction harm reduction questioned again at Charlottetown city council

Some Charlottetown city councillors continue to express doubts about the Native Council of P.E.I.'s harm reduction program, which for four years has been providing services for Islanders with drug addictions.

The group's mobile harm reduction team operates in Charlottetown six days a week but provides services across P.E.I. Those services include distributing clean needles, pipes, and naloxone kits to reverse the effects of opioid overdose.

Given recent concerns about discarded needles in Charlottetown — especially in the Euston Street area near the Community Outreach Centre — during a special meeting of city council with the Indigenous group Monday Coun. Justin Muttart expressed concerns about how well the program works.

"It seems to be an avenue to allow people to continue down a certain path," Muttart said.

"I'm just really conflicted with thinking that this is providing the help that people need… providing them with the ability and use of needles… as opposed to providing the real support that they need and helping them get the treatment that they need."

Bradley Cooper, political advisor with NCPEI, was at the meeting to give a presentation on the group's work. Cooper acknowledged concerns about dirty needles, and said he shared them.

"We are aware needles are definitely a concern for citizens and that there shouldn't be as many dirty needles out on the streets," he said.

"We're doing our part to try and reduce the amount of dirty needles out there, but still servicing our clients in the harm reduction model the best way that we can."

Cooper noted his group actually collects more used needles than it distributes. Last year the Native Council of P.E.I. handed out about 6,600 needles and more than 7,000 were returned, Cooper said.

The organization's needles are distributed in packages of 10 along with a black safe container for disposal. In his discussions with Charlottetown police and RCMP, he has been told officers have never found one of their safe containers thrown out on the street. He noted it is also part of the group's work to collect discarded needles if they are told about them.

Harm reduction is the understanding people living with addictions may not be interested in recovery right away, Cooper said.

"Harm reduction is just making sure that while they are going through their addictions they're not catching HIV or they are not having to commit to criminal activities or live homeless," he said.

"It's just about supporting them where they are at in their life right now."

He said he understands that can be difficult to understand.