Questions of safety are being raised after a video surfaced over the weekend showing dozens of used needles in the bathroom of a Regina McDonald’s restaurant.

The video was posted to social media over the weekend by Neesha Wolfe, and shows needles all over the floor in a bathroom stall, as well as a used needle and other debris was scattered over the counter by the sink. The video has been viewed thousands of times.

Wolfe says she walked out of the washroom and alerted employees right away.

“I was disturbed, and in shock, and it’s not something that you would see in a fast food restaurant,” Wolfe said.

The restaurant in question is the McDonald’s at Dewdney Avenue and Albert Street.

Regina police say a needle disposal that was located in the bathroom was locked, but was pried open and emptied in the bathroom. According to a police spokesperson, they are working to identify a suspect.

In a statement to CTV News, McDonald’s says they are aware of the video, and are taking the incident very seriously.

“After being alerted about this troubling incident, the restaurant immediately followed procedures to clean and sanitize the washroom,” Kristen Hunter, Manager of Corporate Relations for McDonald’s said. “The experience and safety of guests and crew is McDonald’s top priority.”

After an inspection on Monday morning, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said the disposal box in the video belongs to the restaurant, meaning McDonald’s is responsible for the cleanup. Officials also said the needles don’t necessarily mean illegal drug use.

“We don’t know where all these needles come from, but people did the responsible thing by putting them in the container,” said Kathy Lloyd with the SHA. “It’s just unfortunate that someone vandalized the container.”

The SHA says anyone who finds a used needle should use tongs or pliers to put it in a hard plastic container with a lid, and drop it off at one of the following locations:

  • Carmichael Outreach at 1925 Osler Street
  • Sexual Health Clinic at 2110 Hamilton Street
  • APSS (AIDS Program South Saskatchewan) at 1325 Albert Street, Regina