City needs help to tackle discarded needles, says Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig

Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig is calling on the Region of Waterloo to do more to help them tackle the growing problem of discarded needles in the city's parks, trails and near schools.

Before a community cleanup Sunday,Craig spoke with volunteer members of the group A Clean Cambridge. The message was sharedin a video posted to A Clean Cambridge's Facebook page.

• Waterloo Region 'actively' working on problem of discarded needles in Cambridge, official says
• 100 needles found in 3 hours near Cambridge's Central Public School

"We need more help," Craigsaid in the video. "This is not a city issue. This is a regional, provincial and national issue."

Craig later toldCBCNews the city needs more moneyto help tackle the issue.

As well, he would like to start a dialogue with regional staffon how to better deal with "the handing out of needles."

City to ask region for help

Craig said there were three groups organized by A Clean Cambridge who picked up needles alongside city staff on Sunday. Volunteers picked up 648 needles and five crack pipes that day.

"I think it's important to thank these people and say to them that we are doing a number of things at Cambridge city council, which I outlined," Craig said.

In the video he outlined three main steps the city is taking to address the needle issue in Cambridge tovolunteers:

• The city will collect any needles found in public or private property.
• They are having discussions with police about increasing police presence in certain areas of downtown.
• The city will be going to regional council on Wednesday to ask staff to bemore involved.

More community cleanups

Mary Jane Sherman, an administrator withA Clean Cambridge, said volunteerssplit into different teams Sunday afternoon to cover the areas of St. Anne Catholic Elementary School, Alison Park area,Elgin Streetand intoSoperPark.

She toldCBCNews volunteers found the most needles in sometunnelsthat lead to Elgin Street.

• Region educates drug users on proper needle disposal

"There's somuch garbage back there," Sherman said, "You can't even walk in there ... and it's full of needles."

She addedsome volunteers found 25 needles in the area where the group did their first cleanup in the Central Public School area,Central Park andthetrail that led to Soper Park.

The group was started aftera Cambridge toddler was pricked by a used needle in late September and parents felt more needed to be done to keep children safe.

Sherman said the next step is to continue to do more community cleanups throughout the city and inform the public.

"We want to push the community clean up and get the community involved," she said. "I want to see if [the city] can keep up with the demand."