Reports of discarded needles and public drug use in St. John’s are putting pressure on community organizations and police, as federal prosecution guidelines favour health interventions over criminal charges for simple possession, CBC News reports.

City records obtained by CBC through access-to-information show more than 1,000 calls about needles and open consumption over the last two years. In 2016, the city received 181 such reports.

At the Froude Avenue Community Centre, executive director Enid Pendergast told CBC that staff conduct daily sweeps for discarded needles. The centre has fenced its backyard, and children are no longer allowed to walk unaccompanied between the centre and nearby schools. Concerns about needles hidden in snow have also restricted outdoor play.

Pendergast said she recognizes addiction as a disease and believes support is insufficient for people seeking help, while stressing the need to keep children safe.

### Possession remains illegal

Public Prosecution Service of Canada guidelines updated in 2020 direct prosecutors to prioritize health alternatives and diversion in simple possession cases, reserving prosecution for cases involving serious public-safety risks. The policy does not legalize drug possession.

CBC reported that simple possession prosecutions have declined nationally, with an overall decline in Newfoundland and Labrador over a decade. Those figures and the city’s complaint records do not, by themselves, establish whether public drug use has increased or why.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Insp. Ryan Pittman told CBC that officers must balance enforcement, evidence requirements and public health. Responding to public consumption does not necessarily result in charges, he said.

Pittman declined to confirm an increase in open drug use without supporting figures. He pointed to increased patrols, covert surveillance and use of the mobile crisis unit around the Gathering Place shelter.

Victoria Police Chief Constable Fiona Wilson, who co-chairs the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police’s drug advisory committee, told CBC that officers lack sufficient alternatives to criminal charges.

The Gathering Place and the City of St. John’s have announced a pilot project paying shelter guests to collect needles and litter. Executive director Colin McNeil, a former RNC deputy chief, said repeatedly arresting people does not resolve the underlying health issue, while acknowledging the need for better responses to public consumption.

Sources