Toddler taken to hospital after putting needle in her mouth

Ottawa paramedics say they took a two-year-old girl to the region's children's hospital Saturday after she was found with a needle inside her mouth.

The call came in at approximately 11:30 a.m. from the little girl's mother, who reported finding drug paraphernalia at Princess Margriet Park on Fairmont Avenue, paramedics said.

Paul Morneau, operations commander for the Ottawa Paramedic Service, said first responders assessed the girl, who was in stable condition.

She was taken to CHEO "as a precaution and for a follow-up," Morneau said.

On Saturday evening, the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association posted a notice on Facebook, warning parents about used needles being discovered on a play structure at the west-of-downtown park.

Morneau said while calls like the one paramedics got Saturday are rare, "unfortunately it's not unusual for us to be getting overdose calls from the contaminated toxic drug supply that tends to be out there lately."

If anyone in Ottawa spots any kind of drug paraphernalia, Morneau said they can call 3-1-1 and crews can be dispatched to safely dispose of the items.