An Effective Nuisance Bylaw

An Effective Nuisance Bylaw By Maurice Brenner Regional Councillor Ward 1 Pickering While the majority of residents in Pickering and thoughtful and respectful when disposing of litter, unfortunately there are those who do not, and their disrespect for our communities has resulted in bags of garbage thrown on public and private properties. Not only is it unsightly but potentially causes damage to the environment. On a regular basis , I receive numerous calls, as well as seeing numerous posts on Social media from frustrated residents demanding the Municipality do something to stop this practise and clean up the garbage. The solution however can not be just solved by Municipal Government, it takes a collective approach and partnership with residents. Many will ask, what’s the point?, even if we report what we see there is no enforcement and no consequences. I believe that the City of Pickering’s recent anti-littering campaign is a step in the right direction. By establishing a marketing campaign that will engage with residents and stakeholders in an effort to create greater awareness of the negative impacts of littering and a call for the majority to be the eyes on the street to report the minority who litter is a good start. Coupled with a new and effective nuisance bylaw, reporting can and will have consequences for those who litter. But what’s the use you may be thinking, no one is ever charged. In the short period that the nuisance bylaw has been implemented, City staff have already inspected over 115 bags of garbage, looking for anything that can identify the source that has littered the City. Currently 15 cases are before the Courts with charges having been laid and others in the works. While together we can and will step up to clean up public streets, there will always continue to be those who are not deterred by the risk of consequences, our message to those who continue to disrespect our City is clean up your act or face the consequences. YOU WILL GET CAUGHT. Watch for my next column as we tackle speeding on our Roads