A proposed permanent needle-exchange site in Victoria has received a thumbs down from junkies, who say the area is too dangerous and too far from downtown.

In a July 23 letter to the Vancouver Island Health Authority's Needle Exchange Advisory Committee, a group calling itself SOLID -- Society for Living Intravenous Drug Users -- said a proposed site on Princess Street was inappropriate. No address was given.

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The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Times Colonist, said the area is known to drug users as "extremely dangerous and violent due to street gang activity," and any attempt at extra policing would only scare away needle-exchange clients.

SOLID, listed as a member of the Needle Exchange Advisory Committee, also said that the site was too far from downtown services, buildings were badly maintained and unsuitable for a health service and current tenants would have to be displaced.

The letter argues 941 Pandora Ave., the site of the old St. John's Ambulance Society, is still the best site for a needle exchange.

But Shannon Turner, chairwoman of the Needle Exchange Advisory Committee, said the Pandora Avenue location is no longer an option, largely because of community objections.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority dropped that building from consideration in March 2008 after an outcry from the community, including parents and officials at St. Andrew's School on Pandora Avenue, kitty corner to the St. John's Ambulance building.

"Given what we heard from the larger community, that [site] would be problematic," said Turner, who serves as director of public health for the health authority.

She would not reveal the address of the Princess Street site. But she confirmed the existence of the letter and said the health authority has identified one possible site for a fixed needle exchange.

Turner said a meeting with members of SOLID to address their concerns is planned early this month.

The Needle Exchange Advisory Committee was formed in the months following the decision to abandon the Pandora Avenue site, and includes representatives of the business community, drug users, social agencies, police, the city and others.

While it won't make the final decision on a needle exchange, it's expected to provide input to the Island's chief medical health officer.

Turner said a fixed site is a missing piece from Victoria's harm-reduction efforts for illicit drug users, which now include mobile needle exchanges and some pharmacies. The more options for access, the more likely people will be better served, she said. "People will have multiple access points so access is not a barrier."

The issue of a fixed needle-exchange site has long been contentious in Victoria.

The previous fixed exchange on Cormorant Street ran for about six years before being evicted by its landlord in May 2008 after repeated complaints from neighbours about discarded needles, bloody refuse, discarded condoms and human excrement.

In June, a group calling itself Harm Reduction Victoria opened a "guerrilla" needle exchange, handing out needles in the 900 block of Pandora Avenue, near St. Andrew's School. The move was a violation of a voluntary undertaking to keep needle-exchange activities away from schools, and was condemned by many now participating on the Needle Exchange Advisory Committee.

rwatts@tc.canwest.com