Some parents say they won’t be taking their kids to a splash pad in Dartmouth, N.S., due to the amount of drug paraphernalia being left lying around the park.
Gillian Fowlie told Global News her family has avoided the splash pad since her niece stepped on a broken crack pipe on Aug. 5.
“It’s hard, and you have to keep your kids safe. I can’t take them here,” she said.
“We obviously look around, but obviously things were missed and it’s hard to have the confidence that this area is going to be safe for our kids.”
Fowlie said her niece was not injured as a result of the incident but is worried about the safety of the splash pad and playground and wants other parents to be wary as well.
“My immediate reaction was to tell other parents in the area so they knew to, if they did choose to come here, that they were constantly vigilant, keeping an eye, making sure everything was safe,” she said.
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Sam Austin, councillor in Dartmouth Centre, echoed Fowlie’s concerns.
He said the city has installed security in the park from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and has also contracted Mainline Needle Exchange to sweep the park.
Austin told Global News that while there are efforts being made to keep the park safe, it does not solve the root of the problem.
“All of this is band-aiding the actual problem,” he said.
“We have people in our community who are dealing with high needs-type issues around addiction and there’s not the space and programs available for them.”
Mainline Needle Exchange said it has been conducting searches in the part since 2023 and recently increased the number of searches to two per day.
“Some days they find nothing,” spokesperson Jo Parker told Global News. “Some days, 10 or more needles.”
She said the “searches are in addition to the ones the Bridge shelter conducts.”
“This area is so busy, we know we can clean everything up and someone could come by a few minutes later and leave supplies behind.”
While Fowlie acknowledges that some steps have been taken to deal with the issue, she is hoping to see more done to keep the park safe.
“I do think that we could have security a little longer,” she said. “I think during peak times as a parent, if I’m here by myself with three kids, if I see somebody doing something that I think is inappropriate around the kids, I don’t feel comfortable walking up and asking them to leave. I do think security should be here to help keep the family safe.”
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