Residents raise a stink about garbage heap on Ottawa street
Thirty-five truck loads of garbage were removed from the area of Old Innes Road in Ottawa's east end, after the growing pile of trash became an unsightly and smelly mess for local business owners who say they are tired of seeing the area used as an illegal dumping ground.
The large pile of discarded items includes black trash bags filled with food waste, tires, broken furniture, oil containers, and industrial materials such as asphalt. It is turning the area into what seems to be an unofficial dump.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"It's really been in the last year and a half that this has become problematic," says Rob Moran, whose family operates Cadieux Interiors which faces the garbage heap. "It's just a very unpleasant situation for this part of town and for the city of Ottawa. Customers that have come into the store have made reference to whether or not we have made attempts to try and clean up the area across the street or if anything is being done and right now there's really nothing that's happening."
Moran adds that the situation has worsened in recent months. He has reported the issue to Ottawa Bylaw and reached out to his area councillor for assistance.
"I found out about it at the end of October, and obviously actioned the request, sent it to bylaw, bylaw came out, they tried to find out where the trash came from," said Alta Vista Ward Coun. Marty Carr. "There was nothing, no identifying material that could indicate who had left that big pile of trash there, so the request was sent in to clean it up."
Carr initially said the garbage was on Hydro Ottawa property, but now says it's unclear who owns the site. The city now says it is committed to cleaning up the garbage as quickly as possible and will explore the option of installing barriers to restrict access to the area to prevent illegal dumping.
Hydro Ottawa said crew was sent over to its substations in that area to verify, and did not find garbage on any of its sites.
Local residents and workers have reported an increase in illegal dumping in industrial areas and along roadways, fearing that Ottawa's new garbage disposal limits could worsen the issue.
"This pile (on Old Innes Road) has been building up for quite a while, a little bit each month, and now it's ridiculous. All these rural areas are getting a lot of garbage dumped," says Doug Munro, who frequents the area. "I think we're going to see garbage everywhere and you're seeing garbage bags now in these piles which you never saw before the three-item limit.Just drive through any neighbourhood on a garbage night and you'll see the crazy amounts of garbage and it's just going to be left behind. This is just the start."
The city recently introduced a three-item curbside garbage limit to help extend the lifespan of the Trail Road Landfill. Under the new rules, households must use yellow City of Ottawa bags for any items above the three-item limit. If the limit is exceeded without a yellow bag, collectors are currently leaving one item at the curb with a courtesy tag.
The yellow bags are available at various outlets across the city, with four bags costing $17.60. Starting in December, any untagged items over the limit will be left at the curb with a courtesy tag.
"I understand the fear of residents that this is what they're going to see in the community," says Carr. "Certainly, we have had cases where there has been dumping in parking lots or elsewhere and we're doing our best to address that, but I absolutely understand the fear and, in this particular case, I know we have had issues with dumping in that area. This is a valid concern when people are looking to get rid of their household waste when they're over the limit."
Carr told CTV Morning Live Friday morning that city crews removed 35 truck loads of garbage Friday morning.
The fine for illegal dumping in Ottawa varies depending on location and severity. Fines include:
- $205 for garbage placed in a park bin
- Minimum $500 for dumping in a park
- $300 for dumping on private property
- Minimum $500 for littering.
Residents are encouraged to report illegal dumping by calling 3-1-1 or online at ottawa.ca/311.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
She thought her children just had a cough or fever. A mother shares sons' experience with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won't have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Video shows octopus 'hanging on for dear life' during bomb cyclone off B.C. coast
Humans weren’t the only ones who struggled through the bomb cyclone that formed off the B.C. coast this week, bringing intense winds and choppy seas.
Taylor Swift's motorcade spotted along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway
Taylor Swift is officially back in Toronto for round two. The popstar princess's motorcade was seen driving along the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday afternoon, making its way to the downtown core ahead of night four of ‘The Eras Tour’ at the Rogers Centre.
Service Canada holding back 85K passports amid Canada Post mail strike
Approximately 85,000 new passports are being held back by Service Canada, which stopped mailing them out a week before the nationwide Canada Post strike.