Spring melt reveals scope of illegal dumping on CP Rail property during winter

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This article was published 24/04/2019 (2659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Empty beer cans and coffee cups, abandoned clothing and shoes, tattered blankets and a stained old mattress, busted-up furniture and broken-down appliances, all scattered on the grass in a residential area in Winnipeg’s Weston area.

It’s an illegal dumping site on Canadian Pacific Railway property, just north of Notre Dame Avenue at Valour Road, which backs onto a smattering of residential homes to the east and west.

A CP sign posted on the strip of land — which has train tracks running down the middle of it — clearly states the property is private, but that not deterred people from using it as an easily accessible dump site inside the city.

It’s just one of many illegal dumping sites in the city that have drawn the ire of area residents, property owners and city officials alike.

“Unfortunately, illegal dumping does occur on CP property. The railway works diligently to remove garbage and materials that have been deposited on our property by the public,” a CP spokeswoman said in a written statement.

As city staff and contractors begin work on the annual spring cleanup, which kicked off Monday and is expected to take six weeks and cost $6 million, the problem of illegal dumping has once again been brought to light now that the snow is gone.

In 2016, city hall moved to crack down on the problem, launching a two-year pilot program that saw a full-time bylaw investigator hired to run a surveillance program at illegal dumping hot spots in Winnipeg.

The project used hidden cameras stationed at high-priority locations to monitor the movement of people and vehicles depositing garbage or construction debris on public property.

Although the program delivered mixed results — 103 investigations, but only 34 leading to enforcement for a total of $16,800 in fines — the city continues to monitor the areas using the cameras.

“Now that the council-approved two-year pilot project has concluded, the city will continue to use the high-resolution CCTV technology to assist in identifying vehicles and/or persons that are illegally dumping in open public spaces,” a city spokesman said in a written statement.

While the city is currently employing roughly 500 staff members and 300 pieces of equipment to clean up more than 7,000 kilometres of streets and 1,600 kilometres of walkways, the CP property north of Notre Dame Avenue will remain covered with trash until the rail giant moves to clean it up.

A city spokesman said any illegal dumping on private property falls to the owner to address.

Winnipeg’s spring cleanup operation – which covers more than 7,000 kilometres of streets and 1,600 kilometres of walkways – is expected to wrap up by June 3.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe