A walking path that runs behind Willowbrook-area homes has become a haven for drug dealers and should be closed off permanently, residents told Langley Township council Monday.
Christopher Sine told the council he lives near 64th Avenue and 199th Street, and the path runs behind his home.
In the past, it was mostly used by parents walking their children to nearby Langley Meadows Elementary, he said.
However, the kids and parents have largely stopped using the path because of dealers and addicts doing drugs, defecating and urinating on the path or into back yards.
“We’ve had a beating with a baseball bat right outside my house,” said Sine, who reported he has called the police on numerous occasions.
He also shared photos of some of the people, including one showing a man who had a baseball bat with him.
There have been thefts in the neighbourhood, and many discarded needles. Sine said he can’t even study for medical school courses in his own back yard anymore.
“The needles in the area are just out of control,” said Sine.
The needles are causing concern that a child could be seriously injured or potentially even killed if they handle a syringe with drugs in it.
Parents have switched to using 64th Avenue to get to school.
The issue is affecting the quality of life of everyone along the trail, which runs for about 80 feet behind the homes and connects 200th Street to a local park, said Sine.
“It is not a homeless problem, it is actually a drug problem,” said Sine.
Asked by Councillor Kim Richter how many people were involved with the drug trade on the trail, Sine said there seem to be about 20 to 25 people who use the trail regularly to buy and sell drugs, often arriving in groups of four and five.
At the end of the council meeting, Richter asked that staff prepare a report on the issue for the council, and council unanimously approved that idea.
