Needle Dogs Moncton is pleading with City Council to help them get used syringes and drugs off the streets.
Richard Hyslop runs the volunteer group of 30 people who have removed more than 60,000 needles from the streets over seven and a half years.
“We do parks, playgrounds, schoolyards, daycare areas, we do the streets going to the schools, we do alleys,” says Hyslop. “And we have no help with sharps containers, grippers, rubber gloves, and bottles of rubbing alcohol so we can wash our hands afterwards and not carry diseases.”
Hyslop says last week, they picked up 1,006 used needles in the East End alone.
“There’s six of us, part of a group of 30 people that walk the streets every day picking up drug needles, crackpipes, bags of drugs that are a danger to the children, pets and people of this city,” says Hyslop.
He adds they are suffering from a lack of equipment and manpower “there’s areas in Moncton where there are parents screaming for us to go and cleanup, we have places that are waiting right now because we can’t get there.”
Hyslop finished his impassioned plea to Moncton City Council by saying parents, and owners find it scary to see needles, and bags of drugs in parks, playgrounds, daycare areas, and schools.
He adds this is about community helping community, with people coming together to make Moncton a great, and safe place for kids and pets.
