SAFE NEEDLE DISPOSAL TASK FORCE. Agenda. Thursday, October 4, :15 p.m. Council Chambers

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1 SAFE NEEDLE DISPOSAL TASK FORCE Agenda Thursday, October 4, :15 p.m. Council Chambers 1. Review and Approve September 19, 2018 Minutes 2. Safe Needle Disposal Unit Funding Initiatives 3. Clean Team Initial Engagement and Funding Initiatives 4. Correspondence Northern Savings Credit Union 5. Other Business 6. Next Meeting Date

2 MINUTES OF THE SAFE NEEDLE DISPOSAL TASK FORCE MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018 AT 1:15 P.M. IN THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL CHAMBERS Present: Regrets: Kyrsten Thomson, Operations Lead, MMH, Northern Health Iain Acton, BMO, Terrace Downtown Improvement Area Nick Rempel, Specialized Services Manager, Northern Health Michael Robinson, Terrace RCMP Staff Sergeant Heather Avison, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Terrace Carol Leclerc, Mayor, City of Terrace James Cordeiro, Councillor, City of Terrace Dwayne Sheppard, Bylaw Compliance Officer Carmen Didier, Director of Leisure Services, City of Terrace Ashley Poole, Executive Assistant, City of Terrace Elaine McGillivray, Director of Housing, Ksan Society Review & Approve August 30, 2018 Minutes: The August 30, 2018 Safe Needle Disposal Task Force minutes were amended to replace the line The Clean Team would be led by Northern Health to The Clean Team would be supported by Northern Health and adopted as amended. Greater Terrace Safe Needle Disposal Guide Update: In order to get the guide out in a timely manner it was decided to remove the map with box from the guide. This information could be added in at a later date once the locations of the proposed boxes are determined. It was decided to indicate the City of Terrace as the main contact if a needle is found. A decision was also made to omit the information regarding installation of outdoor safe needle drop boxes at places of business upon request until further decision is made. The final version of the Greater Terrace Area Safe Needle Disposal Guide will be reviewed and sent off for printing. We will get some hard copies for distribution but the guide will also be shared electronically on social media, websites, etc. Safe Needle Disposal Unit Funding: The $5,000 grant can only be applied to by the Health Authority. The $5,000 would be dispersed amongst the entire health authority, not just Northern Health. Another grant, known as the Imagine Grant, was identified. This grant needs to be applied for by a community group or non-profit group. This grant takes a few months to

3 Safe Needle Disposal Task Force Minutes, September 19, 2018 Page 2 access the funding, and the funds then have to be used by June 30, The application due date is September 30, A conversation took place regarding the possibility of the Terrace Downtown Improvement Area (TDIA) applying for this grant. Iain Acton will consult with the TDIA Board regarding the possibility of obtaining these funds through the TDIA. Northern Health will be meeting with the TDIA to discuss the grant and application further. A discussion took place regarding who would be in charge of purchasing safe needle disposal boxes and the eligibility to receive a box for install but no decision was made as of yet. The BC Civil Forfeiture Grant was mentioned as a possible option as well depending on what the theme of the funding will be for The RCMP will keep the Task Force informed. Quesnel Clean Team Initial Engagement and Funding Options: If successfully obtained, a portion of the Imagine Grant could be used to fund the proposed Terrace Clean Team. The Northern Health Intensive Case Management Team (ICMT) is collaborating with various groups/people to engage with and identify individuals who would like to participate on the Clean Team and to find out what areas in the City would be best suited for the install of a safe needle disposal box. There is also $2,000 PEER funding available through BCCDC which can be re-applied for each year. Other Business: The City will reach out to the Public Library to see if they would like a sharps container installed in their public washroom. It was noted again that the containers could be taken to the Health Unit on Kalum Street for disposal of the sharps. Next Meeting: Next meeting is Thursday, October 4 at 1:15 p.m. in Council Chambers. Meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.

4 Ashley Poole Subject: FW: Needles at Northern Savings From: Sam Harling Sent: Tuesday, September 25, :30 AM To: Heather Avison Cc: Grace Makowski; Carmen Didier; Ashley Poole Subject: RE: Needles at Northern Savings Hi Heather, Carmen and Ashley, We ve now had 2 days in a row of needle paraphernalia in this spot. Is it best for us to call that Sportsplex number ( ) to have someone come and clean it up? We have cleaned it all up now but we re wondering what to do in the future we do not have the hard plastic container that is tightly sealed and labelled. Thank you for your response and help. I m sorry to see that this is becoming such a regular occurrence. Regards, Sam Harling Manager, Relationship Development, Terrace Northern Savings Credit Union 4660 Lazelle Avenue Terrace, BC V8G 1S6 From: Heather Avison Sent: September 24, :02 PM To: Sam Harling Cc: Grace Makowski; Carmen Didier; Ashley Poole Subject: FW: Needles at Northern Savings Hi Sam, There is information in this Community Safety Bulletin about how to handle a needle if you find one. They can be dropped off at the Health Unit on Kalum Street or at the hospital emergency room. If you aren t comfortable handling the needle yourself you can call our Leisure Services staff to report the location and we will send someone out to pick it up during regular business hours. They can be reached at H Heather Avison, CAO City of Terrace 1

5 From: Ashley Poole Sent: Monday, September 24, :24 PM To: Heather Avison; Carmen Didier Subject: FW: Needles at Northern Savings From: Sam Harling Sent: Monday, September 24, :09 PM To: Ashley Poole Cc: Grace Makowski Subject: Needles at Northern Savings Hi Ashley, I saw your name on a committee document regarding the safe disposal and management of needles in the city, so I thought I would ask you: We periodically find needles and other paraphernalia around our building (most commonly behind our garbage dumpster on the East side of our building as shown in the photo below). We have cleaned up the one needle and unopened condoms, amongst other items, and are now just wondering where to safely dispose of the needle in particular. Can you tell us what the most appropriate way is to dispose of needles when we find them here? Thanks, Sam Harling Manager, Relationship Development, Terrace Northern Savings Credit Union 4660 Lazelle Avenue Terrace, BC V8G 1S6 From: Sam Harling Sent: September 24, :47 PM Subject: Needles 2

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