Park Ex residents call for borough to do more to curb trash overflow
It's a stinky situation in Montreal's Park Extension neighbourhood, where residents say the garbage problem has gotten out of control.
Roberto Reginato has lived in Park Ex for over 50 years. He said large piles of garbage on the curb are a common sight.
"We've got recycling here, we've got paint products that look like they were used 20 years ago, we got clothes," said Reginato, gesturing to a heap of trash while taking CTV News on a tour of the neighbourhood. "I don't even want to get close to it."
Reginato believes the borough isn't moving fast enough to clear the trash piles.
"This what I wake up to in the morning, this is what I see every day," he lamented.
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Parc-Ex stinks… literally
It's gotten worse since the borough changed garbage pickup to just one a week for buildings with under eight units in 2018, he explained.
These days, garbage piles are common on-and-off public property, say residents, which has led to another issue.
"There's rats. I don't know how many there are, but there are rats," said Reginato.
Resident Connie Buccheri said the garbage attracts all kinds of pests.
"There's rodents, there's skunks, there's racoons, but especially the rats and the mice all over the place," she said. "Garbage brings in rodents. So you get rid of the garbage, you get rid of the rodents."
"I feel Park Ex is being neglected," said Buccheri. "And that is unacceptable."
They want the borough to do more to clean up the streets by better-informing residents on waste management and more frequent garbage pickup.
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Picking up the trash in Park Extension
But the borough says now is the time to cut down on waste altogether.
"It's not true that if there is a problem here, we're just going to [add] more collection [days] and forget that we are in a climate crisis, and that we have to divert from the landfill," said Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension Mayor Laurence Lavigne Lalonde.
On Monday, the borough launched a neighbourhood cleanup "blitz" to get existing garbage pileup under control.
Information teams are also being dispatched to knock on doors and educate people on proper waste management, including how to seperate garbage from recycling and compost.
Signs reminding people to keep the area clean have gone up around the neighbourhood, and fines have been boosted to $4,000.
"I really do think that people here in Park Extension, they can understand how it works like every other borough," said Lavigne Lalonde.
"They are people that live here, participate in community activities; they are as brilliant as in other places, so we just have to make sure that information gets to people."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.