Pubdate: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 Source: Prince George Citizen (CN BC) Copyright: 2014 Prince George Citizen Contact: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/350 Author: Arthur Williams Page: 4 PLANTER REMOVAL DOWNTOWN SHIFTED LOITERING, SAYS LAWYER A move intended to eliminate a problem area in the downtown may have had unintended consequences for businesses nearby. In a letter to city council, local lawyer Ben Levine said the city decision to remove the planters on Third Avenue and George Street in October resulted in an "immediate" increase in loitering around his office in the 1100 block of Third Avenue. The city removed the previous waist-high planter boxes often used as informal seating, and replaced them with planting areas flush to the ground. "There is drug paraphernalia scattered around the alley. There is people fighting... screaming and yelling in front of my office," he said. "It's the entire downtown I'm concerned about. We have a downtown that has significant problems. It's hard for a business to succeed down here." Levine said he recognizes that people accessing social services downtown, including Northern Health's needle exchange program, but said removing the planter that was frequently used as a seating area has simply relocated the problem of loitering down the street to his area. "Sadly, drug dealing is also rampant in this area, as I have witnessed it myself out in the open. My back alley functions, in part, like an open air crack house/injection site," Levine wrote in his letter to council. "There used to be a police street presence in this area that was very effective. I almost never see police present on foot anymore. As a result, laws are openly flaunted which is very frustrating and should be a real concern in anticipation of the Winter Games." Levine said he has owned his office downtown since 2006, and conditions have never been good -but recently they've "become intolerable." "It's a frustrating situation for business owners. [And] it's hard for the public to feel pride in their downtown," he said. Restoring police foot patrols downtown, or hiring security guards to patrol the area, would be a positive step, he said. In addition, potentially relocating Northern Health's needle exchange program out of the downtown may also help, he said. The unfortunate reality is drug dealers hang around the needle exchange to prey on drug users accessing the services there, Levine said. "I recognize that people have addictions and I also support harm reduction," Levine said. "[But] having a needle exchange in the middle of downtown... it's not good planning. When there is needles strewn around... they are not acting like good neighbours here. Why not have a safe injection site?" In a press release issued at the time the planters were removed, city staff and RCMP said the Third Avenue planters had become "areas of high criminal activity." "The Prince George RCMP informed city administration that these planter boxes were seeing an increase in criminal activity, making it unsafe for the general public to access these areas," city manager Beth James said in the release. "With shops, eateries and hotels in the area, it is important to ensure public safety while accessing these services." The removal of the planters was identified by both the RCMP and the city's Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design committee. "The planters on Third Avenue between George Street and Dominion Street have become a point of loitering, providing these individuals with a place to conceal drugs, drug paraphernalia and other contraband," acting officer in charge of the Prince George RCMP Insp. Brad Anderson said in the release. Similar changes were made to Millennium Park at the corner of First Avenue and George Street, were made in September. A berm, trees and shrubs were removed from the park to prevent the area from being used for criminal activity. Downtown Prince George executive director Carla Johnston said the downtown business association was an advocate for removing the planters. "Those planters were actually quite damaged from overuse. They were not being used for their intended purpose," Johnston said. "We realize it has not stopped the problem. [But] it has alleviated the problem of so much congestion in one spot. Ultimately we recognize the concern, but we're working as a group to try and make everybody happy. Social services do form a very important part of downtown." Anecdotally, Johnston said she has heard that the city's social services are under particular pressure as rising rental costs in communities west of Prince George have displaced people from those communities. "We're looking to support our social service agencies with what they need," she said. Downtown Prince George continues to work with the RCMP and city to try to improve the conditions for business owners and residents, she added. Sharlene Lively, Northern Health's regional director of public health, said the health agency and needle exchange program do encourage clients to use and dispose of drug paraphernalia safely. "We have personal-sized sharps containers we give out to clients. We educate our clients as best we can to follow through on that part of the process," Lively said. "We also have needle drop boxes around the city. All of our health facilities accept sharps [used needles]." Lively said the concerns about discarded drug paraphernalia and drug use in proximity to the needle exchange are not new. "It's a recurring issue. It's a balancing act of being in a place where there is a low threshold of accessibility, and observing our neighbours needs as well," she said. A 2013 survey of harm reduction program users across B.C. showed that 61 per cent of needle exchange users in the Northern Health region walked to the exchange site, 21 per cent rode the bus or cycled, and only 18 per cent drove. In Prince George, between 21 and 30 per cent of clients accessing the needle exchange travelled 30 minutes or more to get there. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom