The province is turning down the City of Ottawa's request for additional funds to clean up discarded needles from streets and sidewalks, Health Minister George Smitherman said Friday.

"I realize that this is an area of concern, but public health officials in Ottawa have received extraordinarily big increases in the amount of government resource from the province for the provision of public health services," he said in response to a question from CBC News. "So I do feel like they’re quite well equipped to make that a bigger priority if the local community concludes that that is what is necessary."

Smitherman was speaking to reporters after announcing $800,000 a year in operating funding for a second MRI at the Montfort Hospital, starting this fall. The cost to buy the machines is to be covered by the community.

He said he expected the province's next health announcements in Ottawa to be in regards to:

• A new treatment centre for drug addicts.
• Help for the urgent care centre in Orleans.

The city's community and protective services committee asked the province in April to contribute $200,000 toward improvements to its needle cleanup program, including expanded hours of service.

The program has been criticized by local residents who have collected hundreds of needles left behind.

Ottawa city Coun. Diane Holmes argued that since Ontario requires the City of Ottawa to make sure drug users have clean needles, the province should cover the costs of cleaning them up from city parks and sidewalks after they have been used and discarded.