Montreal cleaning blitz underway as street parking regulations come into effect

Spring cleaning is officially underway in Montreal.

Dubbed 'Operation Cleanliness,' the city launched its spring-cleaning blitz Monday, with clean-up crews out on the streets.

"During the next four to six weeks, we will need 1,000 workers to clean up the city of Montreal," said city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin.

Sabourin warned that people need to make way for street sweepers and sidewalk cleaners scouring the city.

"We're asking citizens to respect the schedule and the hours for the pick-up items, so your blue bin, your brown bin," he said.

Snow plows usually clear dirt and abrasives from city streets, but with so little snow this year, this spring is especially dirty, explained Sabourin.

"Kind of difficult winter, even if there was no snow… it was a roller coaster of temperature," he said.

Street parking restrictions in effect

Seasonal parking restrictions also come into effect as of April 1, so anyone parking on the street should be ready to move the car to accommodate regular street cleaning.

The times and days of scheduled street cleaning vary by street and borough, so it's best to check the signs.

"Please respect the signs and move your car so you won't get a ticket," said Clifford Denis, public works foreman for the Ville-Marie borough.