City needs to tackle illegal dumping, Regina woman says after order to remove trash left on her property
CBC
A Regina woman who has been ordered by the city to clean up garbage on her property says the city needs to do something about the problem of illegal dumping — but a frustrated neighbour says it's up to property owners to make sure their lots are looked after.
Dawn Thomas-Cameron bought the property on Atkinson Street four years ago, intending to rent it out to earn extra income. Things were going fine until her tenant stopped paying rent, and she had to evict him, she says.
The property, which is on Atkinson between Arcola and Victoria avenues, sat empty for a while, but she found out from neighbours it was being occupied by squatters, who caused significant damage inside.
After a fire in the house, she had to knock it down, leaving an empty lot.
Thomas-Cameron recently got a notice from the City of Regina ordering her to clean up the garbage piling up on it.
But it wasn't her garbage — someone dumped a flatbed trailer, piled with debris, on her property, she says.
"It's just really frustrating for me. I'm not a big landlord," she said, adding the now vacant lot is the only revenue property she owns.
"I'm still paying a mortgage, and now on top of that I have to deal with people dumping their stuff in the lot."
She doesn't know exactly when the trailer showed up on the lot. It has a licence plate on it, and Thomas-Cameron said she's reached out to both the City of Regina and police to see if anything can be done to the person who dumped it there.
"They won't charge the trailer owner," she said.
The notice, dated May 9, says she has until May 22 to clean up the mess. If she doesn't, Thomas-Cameron says she's been told the city will do the cleanup and fine her.
She planned to clean it up herself over the long weekend, but "now I'm out of pocket however much it's going to cost me to clean it up," she said.
A Regina Police Service spokesperson said illegal dumping is not a Criminal Code offence. A person can be prosecuted under the city's Clean Property Bylaw, but it is not a matter typically dealt with using police resources, the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the city, meanwhile, says it "understands the frustration of property owners who are victims of illegal dumping."
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