Residents say feds' decision to remove garbage cans near Lachine Canal is rubbish
You might not notice they're gone until you need one but the garbage bins along the Lachine Canal have been removed and it's raising a lot of questions.
It's caused more littering and it's feared summer gatherings will only make it worse.
The removal of some 30 garbage cans along the canal is already being felt by residents.
"I live in this area and I see a lot of garbage just floating around on the ground," said St-Henir resident Maika Lagotte. "I think trashes need to be in sight. You need to see where they are, and if you don't then you're not going to use them."
Parks Canada says the removal of garbage cans aims to promote waste reduction but according to some nearby residents it's leading to more littering.
"It doesn't make any sense if we're trying to keep things clean," said Nicole Groleau, also in St-Henri.
Dominique Moiroud says there will be more pollution as picnic season gets started with the warmer weather.
Last Friday, the federal agency addressed that topic in a Facebook post, which said, "The aim of this initiative is to encourage citizens to take responsibility for the management of waste destined for landfill sites. It also aims to stop the domestic litter in the bins for the visitors use."
It went on to say: "We know that actions in the field have been taken quickly and could have surprised some people. An awareness campaign is being prepared."
The messaging is a bit ironic, according to Little Burgundy resident Georges Clermont.
"People just leave them on the corner for owners or condos to remove them," he said.
Simon Bacon, a professor in behavioural medicine at Concordia University, said the agency failed to inform the public and that could backfire on its goal.
"I think it's probably going to lead to more littering along the canal and probably can end up with a whole series of negative consequences rather than actually anything positive, unfortunately," he said in an interview.
He said he believes that, in this case, more might actually be less.
"Give people better options to be able to dispose appropriately of their rubbish," he said. "If you look at most dog owners, for example, a very responsible people, they pick up the dog's mess after them and then look to dispose of them appropriately. So if you give them the capacity, the facilities to be able to do that, they will do it."
CTV News reached out to Parks Canada but did not get a response before publication time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Family of toddler found dead at small-town Ont. daycare no closer to answers after year of investigation
A year has passed since two-year-old Vienna Irwin was found on the property of a home-based daycare in small-town Ontario, but her family says they are no closer to answers of what happened that day.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
Fatal plane crash reported near Squamish, B.C.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has confirmed it is working with local Mounties and the BC Coroners Service after a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. Friday night.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Three dead after vehicle plunged down a 100-foot embankment in Shediac, N.B.
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
Appeal denied for Edmonton soldier accused of trying to kill her 3 children
An Edmonton woman found guilty of trying to kill her three children has been denied an appeal.