Staff Reporter
Needle pickups for 2019 continue their upward trend for the year.
Fire Chief Trevor Brice reported at Monday’s meeting of North Battleford city council that firefighting activities within the city itself were up compared to last year from 310 to 370 through July.
A big reason for that increase is the spike in needle pickups. Through July, numbers for the year stood at 199 calls in that category. For the previous year it was 111.
There were 38 needle calls in July alone.
The huge spike in needle pickups has been a big concern for council throughout 2019. Mayor Ryan Bater noted council had been talking about needle pickups “every single meeting this year.”
Brice responded that he has a meeting set up with the Saskatchewan Health Authority in early September to discuss the issue. A potential bylaw is being looked at as well.
Bater also reminded residents there are safe ways to dispose of needles, with dedicated disposal boxes available. They are not to go in recycling bins.
