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Schmutz patrol

By: Mary Agnes Welch

12/05/2009 10:42 AM | Comments: 6

Months of garbage piles up in the shrubbery around Polo Park.

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Months of garbage piles up in the shrubbery around Polo Park. (JOFF SCHMIDT / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

Before I gripe about big businesses who let garbage fester around their properties, let me give a shout-out to all the volunteers who spent the weekend picking up months and months of soggy trash in West Broadway and along Omand’s Creek.

Dozens of volunteers braved Saturday morning’s crappy weather and went street by street in West Broadway, raking the trash out from around shrubs, cleaning up vacant lots, tidying around the autobins. It made a miraculous difference. The neighbourhood looks great.

Later, we were headed out for a pretty nice little Saturday afternoon at Home Depot in Polo Park when we noticed the teams out cleaning up Omand’s Creek.

Since the snow melted weeks ago, the creek, already hemmed in by concrete culverts and big box stores, has been a complete pig mess – bags, bottles, papers, coffee and Slurpee cups dangling from every shrub. It was, for me, the single worst example of Winnipeg’s post-winter slobbiness.

But on Saturday, after cleaning teams like the one from Blue Cross got done with the little creek, it was nearly perfect. Almost no garbage to be seen. Way to go, people.

It was a different story across the street at the Toys R Us. Here’s a pic of the lonely bit of landscaping around the store. The Dollar Store bag and the bit of white twine draped upon the shrub almost looks festive, doesn’t it?

Why can’t businesses spend 15 minutes and clean up around their shops?

Better yet, why can’t Winnipeggers use garbage cans?
 

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@Oavis:As I understand your points:

  • *You feel that businesses, entities only in imagination and law, should keep property clean, not the individuals who work for said businesses.
  • *You feel it is perfectly acceptable for a 'journalist' to use blog space on a widely read newspaper website to single out and criticize a SINGLE business and, by extension, its employees for a widespread problem.


To your first point: ridiculous. It would fall upon the employees of the business to take personal responsibility for the issue. If you're suggesting that the 'owners of the business' hire, contract, etc. the clean-up effort then you should re-read Mary's closing words -- very clearly not the point she was making.

To the second point (which you imply), you are absolutely incorrect. Mary could have congratulated the recent volunteer effort and made a greater point about personal responsibility without singling out a business and its employees.

No doubt Mary felt she was singling out a faceless, big corporation (a sentiment you apparently share). This thinking is naive -- she has singled out a specific group of hard-working retail employees (often a thankless and infuriating job), none of whom are deserving of public criticism.

RJN, you're not making any sense. Mary Agnes is not talking about individuals taking responsibility for spaces they do not own, but about business keeping their own properties clean. You sound kind of hurt that a business has been criticized, and I think your emotions may be getting in the way of your common sense a little bit.

@Gorgomoth: You completely miss the point. Mary is calling out a specific business and, by extension, all of the individuals who work there (assuming that we don't expect the building to sprout arms and legs then proceed to clean up the garbage itself).

I really don't care that Mary contributed to a coordinated volunteer effort in West Broadway. She is not talking about coordinated volunteer efforts, she is talking about individuals taking responsibility for the appearance of spaces they do not personally own. I am pointing out the hypocrisy of making this point when she herself (apparently?) photographed the garbage, moved along, and blogged about it.

She could have made her point without calling out a specific business and the individuals who work there. Because she did, Mary is equally deserving of criticism.

Actually, RJN, I was at the West Broadway clean up this weekend, and saw Mary Agnes there, pickin' up garbage with the rest of us.

Can't see why she'd be responsible for that AND cleaning up the Toys R Us parking lot...

Mary - I can only assume that you didn't pick up a single piece of the garbage you took time to photograph?

I agree that we should all help to keep our own little corner of the world free from trash, but I would never think to point a finger (or camera) without taking the time to set a good example, first.

Hi Mary

Thanks for noticing…

In fact, MLA’s (Andrew Swan and Rob Altemeyer) have been organizing a spring cleanup of the creek for the past 5 years.

Every year I am amazed at the number of volunteers that show up to help – this years clean up was even more amazing given the fact as you may recall it snowed that morning. It would have made for an easy excuse for any volunteer to not show up but – no, they showed up worked hard and enjoyed every minute of it.

I should also mention that this was truly a community event, groups like Blue Cross, Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church, community folks for across the city, local politicians like MP Pat Martin, City Councilor Harvey Smith who donated the bin so that we could collect the garbage and local area businesses like Home Depot (who provided the parking lot, BBQ and gloves), Foody Goody, Chapters, Sports Mart, Rae and Jerry’s Steak House, CertainTeed Gypsum and some not so local business like Eat It.ca, River City Wholesale, Mary Jane’s Cooking School and UFCW Local 832 all gave support to the clean up efforts.

This is a truly inspiring community effort and I am always proud to be part of it…

I would also like to personally thank all the other groups that held cleanups this past weekend including, MLA Bonnie Korzeniowski in Truro Creek, Sharon Blady with Sturgeon Creek, West Broadway Development Corporation with the West Broadway Cleanup

And to encourage folks to participate in the cleanups that are still scheduled to happen in the Spence Neighbourhood this Saturday May 16 (call 783-5000) and the Daniel McIntyre / St. Matthews Community Association Community Cleanup that takes place the following Saturday May 23 (call 774-7005)

Thanks again to all the folks that volunteer to help make this a better city….

Boyd

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