Saskatoon dad frustrated after used needles found at schools, playgrounds

A Saskatoon father is speaking out about his concerns after dozens of used needles were found over the span of a month at his child’s elementary school.

Saskatoon police recently released two videos showing a man in a hoodie throwing used needles onto an elementary school playground, then appearing to cover them up. The videos were dated Sept. 29 and Oct. 19.

Two letters dated Sept. 21 and Oct. 19 were also sent to parents, informing them that at least 27 needles were found on the playgrounds at Ernest Lindner and St. Lorenzo schools around those times.

“It’s a matter of time before someone gets hurt, (like) a little kid,” Jordan Hiebert said after he dropped his 12-year-old daughter off at Ernest Lindner School.

He said the police presence near the schools, and in the nearby Confederation Park area where he lives, has dramatically increased recently. Hiebert said he believes that’s a result of more people calling police to report suspicious activities. He said his family has done the same.

“There is a playground around the corner from us, and they find needles in there all the time. My daughter had to call 911. We tell them not to touch them (and) not to do anything,” he described.

Hiebert said school officials have been diligently notifying parents about needles, and telling them that staff would sweep the grounds before children arrived each day.

The person of interest was described as a slim man in his late 30s or early 40s, with stubble on his face and a mole on his right cheek, under his eye. (Saskatoon Police Service/Submitted)

Both the public and Catholic school divisions in Saskatoon have expressed concerns over the increasing numbers of used needles found on school property.

Hiebert said he has sent emails to Saskatoon city councillors, local MLAs and the provincial government raising concerns about safety.

“Nobody has any answer. All they just pass it on to everyone else,” Hiebert said. “I don’t think they know what to do.”

While Hiebert said he didn’t have a specific solution to suggest, he said he believes opening homeless shelters – like the emergency wellness centre in Fairhaven – next to residential areas and close to schools was a bad idea.

Fire department collects thousands of needles

Yvonne Raymer, Saskatoon’s assistant fire chief, said the department typically sees a big increase in the numbers of used needles in areas where there are homeless encampments and open drug use.

According to the department’s statistics, firefighters and inspectors collected 15,976 used needles from around the city last year.

“One of our cleanups ended up picking up over 500 needles, and in one instance, in a vacant lot, fire inspectors retrieved upwards to almost 700,” she said.

Raymer didn’t have information as to how long the needles had been at those locations, but did say they have been found in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood within four blocks of one another.

The assistant chief noted, however, that according to fire department statistics there hasn’t been a jump in the number of needles found at schools.

“I wouldn’t say that schools are seeing an increase, according to our data, but there are other organizations that are also retrieving needles, so maybe they have some different information,” she said.

Raymer said the Saskatoon Fire Department accounts for about half of the needles picked up in the community each year.

If someone does find a used needle, she said they can contact the fire department at 306-975-3030.