By Brian Dryden
Community advocates in Ottawa’s Somerset and Kitchissippi wards say discarded drug paraphernalia remains a significant public safety concern, despite recent progress in neighbourhood cleanup efforts.
Residents and volunteers working in local community associations say syringes, glass pipes and other drug-use materials continue to be found in parks, sidewalks, alleyways and residential properties throughout the area.
Ryan Turley, chair of the Peaceable Neighbourhood Committee with the Dalhousie Community Association, said the issue has affected residents directly.
“We have had issues with discarded drug paraphernalia in the community,” Turley said, noting that he has personally found discarded syringes on his front lawn.
“I have a young daughter, so we definitely see this as a major public safety issue in Centretown.”
Turley said community cleanups organized throughout the city have helped improve conditions in some areas and have removed significant amounts of dangerous waste from public spaces.
“The more public cleanup efforts there are, the better and safer the city as a whole will be,” he said.
In neighbouring Kitchissippi ward, longtime community advocate Cheryl Parrott says the situation has improved compared with previous years, but concerns remain.
Parrott, the first director of the Hintonburg Community Association when it was formed in 1991, has spent years helping organize neighbourhood cleanup efforts and responding to resident concerns about discarded needles and drug-use equipment.
“It is definitely better than it was in the past,” Parrott said in an interview with the Kitchissippi Times.
However, she said official numbers likely underestimate the true extent of the problem because not all discarded items are reported to the city.
“Those numbers are just what has been reported,” she said.
Parrott and Turley say one of the most important tools residents have is reporting hazardous materials to the city through Ottawa’s 311 system so cleanup crews can respond quickly and safely. She also said many residents are unaware of the variety of paraphernalia that may be associated with drug use.
“The glass pipes are very fragile. They can be a real safety issue,” Parrott said.
In addition to syringes and pipes, she said residents may encounter rubber tubing used to expose veins during injection, as well as small metal containers used in drug preparation.
Advocates say public education around identifying and safely reporting hazardous materials is critical, particularly in neighbourhoods where children and families regularly use parks and public spaces.
Both Turley and Parrott emphasized that community cleanup efforts alone are not enough to address the broader social and public health issues connected to addiction and homelessness, but they say reducing dangerous debris in public areas remains an important step in improving neighbourhood safety.
The City of Ottawa encourages residents not to handle discarded syringes or hazardous materials directly if they feel unsafe doing so and instead contact 311 for assistance and disposal services.