Needle exchange still in jeopardy on P.E.I., despite new funding

A recent funding announcement from the provincial government is not enough to save Charlottetown's needle exchange program, says AIDS PEI.

In December the province agreed to pay $6,000 to keep the exchange going. But while that money helps with materials, it is not nearly enough to pay for a co-ordinator.

Two staff members who are paid by the Public Health Agency of Canada have been doing that job, but the federal agency has told them to stop, saying the needle exchange program is a provincial responsibility.

"What is it that we do at this point? Do we completely shut it down and forget about the program when it's so critically needed in the province?" Mark Hanlon, executive director of AIDS PEI, told CBC News on Tuesday.

"Is the province gonna step in and give us the amount of money that we need to co-ordinate a proper needle exchange, which includes having somebody in this building who can co-ordinate it without jeopardizing our current funding from the federal government?"

AIDS PEI says it needs about $40,000 to hire someone. The province says it will consider the request as it puts together a new budget for this spring.