Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Spring thaw reveals litter-strewn parks, citizen cleanup initiatives coming

Sylwia Bielec posted this photo of Confederation Park on April 20 to
the popular Facebook group Parents NDG.
By Isaac Olson
While there is plenty of rejoicing when the spring thaw comes, there's also plenty of cleaning up needing to be done as the melting snow reveals months of uncollected litter in yards, parks and streets.

There are at least four city sponsored cleanups of parks, bike paths and streets scheduled for NDG in the coming weeks and dozens more throughout the city.

On April 19, Sylwia Bielec posted a photo of litter in Confederation Park to the popular Parents NDG Facebook group. The photo shows a split garbage bag and plenty of clutter pushed up against a fence with playground equipment in the background.

"Do parks get cleaned, or do citizens have to clean them?" She wrote. "This is Park Confederation, just now. I'm just posting one pic, but it's representative. It's gross and I feel as though it gets worse every year."

Gayle Laird notes the park is busy with St-Luc High School students that eat their lunch there and then "leave their garbage behind. I often pick up what I can while I'm there with my kids."

French school board commissioner Marie-José Mastromonaco states that she will speak with the student council about the issue  and, she adds, " I am sure they will be ready to find a way to help."

There are other parks in NDG, like Trenholme, in similar condition. Antonio da Mota says the garbage cans are overflowing there.

Marlo Turner Ritchie notes that the Éco-Quartier NDG does support citizen cleanup initiatives. The organization will get community groups and schools involved with cleanups.

By the morning of Apirl 20, a Facebook post by Karen Martin was circulating, touting a city sponsored cleanup of Confederation Park scheduled for April 30. The plan is to assemble at the Dug Harvey Arena at 10 am and break up into groups to target. For more information and to register, click here.

A cleanup is also coming soon to NDG Park and Sherbrooke St. Scheduled for April 29 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, the cleanup will begin in NDG Park and head west on Sherbrooke St. To learn more about this initiative, visit the Facebook event page here and, most importantly, don't forget to register here through this city page.

It's important to register with the city, writes Melissa Fuller, "So the city can send us a shirt and materials for you."

The annual cleanup of the de Maisonneuve bike path is taking place on May 6. Click here for details. For a list of upcoming cleanups in the NDG area, click here.

The city's annual cleanup day, dubbed Grande OpérationMontréal.net, brought  politicians
and residents out to places like Royal Vale School to clear all the litter on April 30, 2011.
Photo: Isaac Olson




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