Clean Needles

As the closure of a majority of Ontario’s Supervised Consumption Sites looms on the horizon, CMHA tells us what this could mean for the current opioid crisis.

Clean Needles is an expository activist documentary about the benefits of Ontario’s safe consumption sites and what the Ford government’s decision to close half of the province's locations could mean for the ongoing drug crisis. By asking the public of Toronto and Hamilton what they predict the closures will lead to, and sitting down to talk with professionals from the Canadian Mental Health Association, Clean Needles will try to paint the issue to be as important as it is. 

Behind The Scenes Photos

The Crew

Ronald Bechard - Director

I'm Ronnie, one of the directors of Clean Needles. I like to think of myself as an activist, and I grew up with friends and family who continue to suffer negatively from addiction, so this project is my way of speaking out about the issue, and making people aware of it.

Ruth Dolan - Producer

My name is Ruth Dolan and I am the producer of this project. This is a very important topic that I believe the public should be more aware of and so I am very honored to be a part of this team.

Aidan Johnston - Director

​My name is Aidan Johnston, I am a co-director for Clean Needles. As someone who grew up in a low income environment and family, social issues like what are being addressed in the documentary are very close to my heart. I have friends and family who I have seen struggle through addiction across my life and having resources for people like them is something I will always advocate for. Educating the public about the systemic issues, statistical facts and genuine humanity behind stories of heroin use is deeply important for stopping the spread of misinformation which can be so detrimental to so many people's lives. I hope with this documentary people will feel the need to help make a change in our system before it's too late.​

Rubi Delgado - Director of Photography

My name is Rubi Delgado and I am the Director of Photography on the Clean Needles production. I am a person who has not been deeply education on the topic of addictions and substance use, working on this project has helped me learn more about the subject at hand!

Joshua Munro - Picture Editor

I'm Josh, the Editor for Clean Needles. I'm eager to deepen my understanding of supervised injection sites, as it's a topic I’m not yet very familiar with and it will be fascinating to explore the perspectives highlighted in the documentary.

David De Furia - Producer, VFX Artist,  & Transmedia Producer

Hi I'm David De Furia, and I am a producer, VFX artist, & Transmedia Producer for Clean Needles. In my life I have been exposed to the topic of substance abuse, because I come from a long line of alcoholics. Through this documentary I hope to remove the stigma from the topic of substance abuse, as well as support those who are struggling with said issues.

Patrick Whittingham - Production & Post  Sound

I’m Patrick Whittingham the co-Writer, Researcher and On-Location and Post Sound mixer/editor. As a former journalist major, I have always been drawn to documentaries, especially those in the activist genre of doc filmmaking. I feel that this issue is particularly important and combined with the opportunity to work with some amazing friends and colleagues I jumped onto the production immediately. The overt politicization of public health institutions and policy needs to stop and productions like this are the necessary step stones to fighting misinformation.

Zackary Nadler - Key Grip

I’m Zachary Nadler, Key Grip and 1st AC for Clean Needles. I’m passionate about working on this project as I have family who’ve been affected by addiction and believe there isn’t enough education surrounding the topic.

William Mowat - Assistant Editor

I’m Will and I’m the assistant editor for Clean Needles. I jumped at the chance to work on this project as I like working on documentaries that explore important topics on the political scale that may not be talked about as much as they should.