Louis Street residents share concerns about increase in discarded needles

Some residents who live on Louis Street in Sudbury say there are major problems with discarded needles in their neighbourhood.

On Tuesday, the Louis Street Community Association met with the city's new head of housing to share their concerns.

Last October, the city changed the way it runs its geared to income housing. That meant the elimination of the Greater Sudbury Housing Corporation and means city council and the mayor will be in charge of the direction of properties.

Colin McKerral who lives in the neighbourhood, says there are still major problems regarding security and discarded needles.

"You'll see give or take 50-plus needles stuffed into a hole in a stairwell," he said.

"It's endangering the lives of the kids. We're just trying to get rid of the situation."

McKerral says he's informed security and the city about the needles but nothing has been done.

Another tenant, June Davies says it's important for tenants to keep expressing their concerns.

"You don't know what the issues are until they're brought forth," she said.

"So by bringing those matters forward there is an accountability now and it's coming from a different set of governance. And I think that those issues will be dealt with."

Working to fix the problems

The city's director of housing operations, Barb Dubois, says her department is working at breaking down any barriers between tenants and the city.

That means making it easier to access services like the paramedicine program and the city's leisure services.

Dubois also says it's important to promote communication between tenants and the city to ensure concerns are brought forward.

She also recognizes that there's still a long way to go before all the problems have been fixed.