Vanier has long been recognized as a rough area by Ottawa locals. Having a concentration of social agencies, low-incoming housing, crime and reports of drug-use, it also ranked number one for by-law complaints concerning discarded needles in 2016.

“The highest area of need is certainly Ward 12,” says Craig Calder, Program Manager for Ottawa Public Health. Formerly an independent, francophone community, Vanier became part of Ottawa in 2001. Now decreasingly francophone, the area is a hot-spot for those living in poorer conditions than the rest of the city. This, in turn feeds its statistical ranking as having the highest population of injection-drug users in the city, according to the 2016 Problematic Substance Use Report from Ottawa Public Health.

In response to this need, out of the 23 wards that make up the capital city, Vanier also has the highest concentration of Needle Drop Boxes, with 10 locations throughout the area, most of which are located along the thorough-way Montreal Road. Although the Vanier ward stretches reasonably far from north to south, the social agencies and many of the community housing projects are concentrated along this main road.

Craig Calder, Program Manager for Ottawa Public Health and previous employee of Ottawa Bylaw, says the Needle Drop Boxes are in locations that were mutually agreed upon by the city and property owners, and that they are placed with a balance of public need and public safety in mind. Not only must the program define the hot-spots and areas of need, they must acquire permission from the property owners and those living in the area to ensure public safety.

Calder also explained that not a single social housing project had agreed to be the location of a Needle Drop Box until last year. “There has been a recent shift in Ottawa Community Housing,” says Calder. This shift gave way to a collaborative agreement between Ottawa Public Health and Ottawa Community Housing that oversaw the installment of five Needle Drop Boxes on Community Housing properties in 2016, due to the high need in these communities, and a speculated change of heart according to Calder.

Despite the new collaboration, the location of these disposal boxes are arguably not being properly disclosed to the people who would make the most use of them. They are not advertised anywhere except on the city’s website, according to Calder. Given the social housing communities have the best access to the population in need, they would be the most effective starting point for getting the word out. Since the collaboration is still so new, future plans are still in the works.

“We don’t like to speak about the Needle Boxes in isolation,” says Calder. In addition to the boxes, are the Needle Hunters. They are another force on the streets attempting to pick up the paraphernalia. They do what Calder calls, “proactive sweeps, seven days a week.” Made up of community volunteers, the Needle Hunters spend allotted shifts throughout the week, head down, scanning for the needles in the city haystack.

In 2015 the needle hunting team retrieved over 17,000 discarded needles, primarily from the Vanier area according to the City of Ottawa’s website. This is another indication of the degree of injection-drug use in the area and the need for proper disposal of these hazardous items.

The Hunters and Boxes are followed-up by city By-Law and Public Works who also spend time scouring for carelessly discarded, hazardous waste, such as needles.

As Calder outlines, the city project concerning discarded needles is many-fold, though advertisement to those discarding needles in the first place may be an area worth investing in.