Needles plague downtown business

A business in downtown Charlottetown has had to install sharps disposal units in its public washrooms after it began to find needles disposed of randomly around the rooms.

"They were finding them in the toilet itself, in the garbage cans, some in the sink, stuck in the ceiling, and every other place in those public washrooms you could think of," Peter Longley, Tim Horton's operations manager for P.E.I. told CBC News Tuesday.

Longley said he doesn't believe the needles are being left by diabetics using insulin. The Kent Street Tim Horton's has now installed needle disposal boxes in its washrooms.

"They were definitely in public access and we had to get them out of there on a daily basis," he said.

Alana Laird, executive director of AIDS PEI, said it's a symptom of the rising number of injection drug users on the Island.

"I have had other businesses talking about the finding needles in the garbage cans," said Laird.

"They don't know what to do. They're apprehensive about putting a needle disposal unit in the bathrooms for fear of what it looks like, but really it's about safety at this point."

Kent Street is the only Tim Horton's on P.E.I. where needles have been a problem, but it has been so busy there that Tim's has asked the company that picks up the collection boxes to come more often.

"They are using the disposal units. That's a positive," said Longley.

Leard said other Canadian cities, including Moncton, have set up street side disposal boxes, and Charlottetown should do the same.

Longley said Tim's would be happy to let the city handle its needle problem, but in the meantime it's boxes are working.