Ottawa couple scrambling to clear storm debris with deadline fast approaching
This coming Friday marks the deadline for the city to pickup debris put to the curb from last month's powerful storm, but one West Carleton family says that’s not enough time.
Suzanne Lafontaine, 74, and Thomas Scott, 80, have been working non-stop to clear their 101-acre farm of fallen trees since the May 21 storm.
“I don’t want the trees to control me,” says Lafontaine. “I want to control the trees.”
But in order to get it all off their property, they need to have it all ready to go by this Friday. Lafontaine says there’s just too much debris and will never get it done in time.
“Why I am upset is because of the time limit on putting the stuff out,” says Lafontaine. “If they don’t extend it we have to cut four feet long, put it out like regular yard waste, and bundle it up. Or use waste bags.”
Their son has been helping clear a lot of the mess, but some trees are just too dangerous to tackle themselves.
“That really shocked us. Because we were expecting two months at least,” says Scott. “Right now we’ve got it half done maybe. Except the big trees that we can’t handle ourselves.”
Thomas Scott clearing storm debris on Monday, June 20, 2022. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
The city says the deadline is just for automatic pickup. Those with remaining debris can still call for help after the 24th.
“We want to encourage people who have debris to put it by the side of the road between now and June 24,” says Coun. Eli El-Chantiry. “If you haven’t cleaned up what you need to clean up by the 24th, you can call 311 and make arrangements to send a special vehicle to clean up the debris.”
As for Lafontaine and Scott, they still have a lot of work to do. The good news is, getting it picked up after Friday is just a phone call away.
“It has been a lot of work,” says Scott. “If we were not retired, we just couldn’t do it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.