Regina neighbourhoods have had enough of excess garbage

Excess garbage in alleys and yards in Regina's heritage neighbourhood started about seven years ago and residents have now brought the issue to city council for a solution.

Residents say the answer to the garbage problem plaguing and causing some to move out of Regina neighbourhoods like heritage and north central is quite simple.

“Having shorter timelines for cleanups when there’s a problem and having consequences for people who repeatedly don’t deal with their own trash or create a mess for everyone else,” said Orion Paradis, who is a resident, landlord and business owner in Regina’s heritage neighbourhood.

The garbage issue in alleys and yards in the heritage neighbourhood started about seven years ago and has gotten progressively worse according to residents who say they’ve had enough.

“Days of trash laying everywhere sometimes with needles mixed in, often with rotten food. Then I clean it up then it gets pulled out again then I clean it up then it gets pulled out again. Very infrequently is the property owner involved and it kind of falls to the other residents to maintain that person’s property for them,” lamented Paradis.

“I’ll be perfectly blunt. The reality of the problem is so severe and dragging down those communities to such an extent, it is a public health hazard if we are thinking about some of the waste,” said councillor Andrew Stevens at Wednesday’s Regina city council meeting.

And the accumulation of trash is more than just an eyesore.

“People then also start making a dumping grounds right where people are like, ‘Ok great, let’s throw the couch here because someone isn’t taking care of their land anyways.’ Then it just become more opportunity for hazardous issues,” said former heritage resident Rachel Wolbaum.

“Even if there’s no needles, even if it’s just diapers and rotten food and other gross things it’s just really disheartening. You’re like this is where I live, this is my reality, and that doesn’t feel very good for anyone and no one should have to live like that. Honestly in Heritage it’s bad and in North Central it’s worse so I’m hoping this will have consequences for those who can’t advocate for themselves,” said Paradis.