Council heard from Orion Paradis who said he and his partner live in the Heritage Neighbourhood.
He said over the past decade his neighbourhood has become increasingly dirty due to nearby rental properties. The motion specifically targets landlords who do not clean up their properties.
“There should not be the expectation that we should be living in trash just because we are in a lower income part of the city,” said Paradis.
Coun. Terina Shaw (Ward 7) asked why it should fall on a landlord to pick up trash around the rental property. Asked if it wouldn’t be more appropriate for the tenants to pick up the trash.
Posted: Apr 30, 2021 2:09 PM CT | Last Updated: April 30
Councillor Andrew Stevens said it s important to be proactive and give bylaw officers more enforcement tools. (Mike Zartler/CBC)
More fines may be coming for Regina litterers and people who don t pick up their trash. City council voted Thursday to ask city administration to bring back a report in the fall about enforcement options against landlords and tenants not keeping their properties clean. We can see the garbage in the back lanes and we know that these are beautiful neighbourhoods that deserve to look beautiful, Mayor Sandra Masters said.
The idea to clean up Regina s neighbourhoods was brought forward by councillors Andrew Stevens and Dan LeBlanc. Both emphasized problem areas in their wards, North Central and Heritage, respectfully.
REGINA Regina city council has unanimously called for a report that could lead to changes for enforcement efforts around illegal garbage dumping. The motion, brought forward by councillors Daniel LeBlanc and Andrew Stevens, called for city administration to find a strategy for increasing fines and prosecution of landlords and offenders for illegal dumping and repeat violation of city bylaws. Orion Paradis, a Heritage resident, spoke as a delegation and told council the current approach primarily focused on tenants is not working. “They’re not going to be dealing with this,” Paradis said. “So by saying that what you’re saying is that the neighbours are just going to have to deal with it forever because the tenants won’t and the landlord doesn’t have any responsibility so the buck stops nowhere, it stops in my yard. I clean it up.”
It s horrible. It s such a despicable thing to do that. Like it s just North Central is the frickin dumping ground of Regina, Racine said. And I challenge those people actually, right now, to do better.
Having a clean neighbourhood would elevate the environment and inspire more people to help clean up in the future, Racine said.Â
Blue Sky48:48Cleaner Communities: How can cities deal with trash that is affecting the quality of life of residentsWe ve all seen alleys filled with garbage, mattress and even needles. So what can do the city do to make sure our streets are clean and safe for the people who live there? We spoke to Regina City Councillor Andrew Stevens about the Cleaner Communities motion coming to council, we heard from concerned citizens in Regina s North Central and Heritage Neighbourhoods and we heard from Andrea McNeil-Wilson, Manager of Bylaw enforcement with the City of Regina. Plus lots of thoughtful calls with ideas for how to tackle the trash problem.48:4