“Waste damages Parc-Extension’s reputation,” deplores Ensemble Montréal

On Thursday morning, City Councilor of the borough of Parc-Extension, Ms. Mary Deros, presented an action plan to tackle the flagrant issues of uncleanliness present in the neighborhood. The elected representative of Ensemble Montréal urges the local administration to remedy the problem, which was the subject of 1,962 citizen complaints made in 2022 in Villeray–Saint Michel–Parc-Extension (VSMPE).

“I have lived in Parc-Extension for over 50 years and I have been an elected official representing the borough for 25 years. I have never seen the neighborhood in such disarray. Garbage harms the reputation, image and quality of life associated with our neighborhood. In the yards of some residents, rats have taken the place of cats and dogs. There is a total loss of control on the part of the borough,” lamented Ms. Deros during a press conference held at the corner of Avenue Champagneur and Rue Liège, near a mountain of waste.

To address the concerns of the residents of Parc-Extension, Ensemble Montréal proposes that unsanitary conditions be considered a problem that must be tackled year-round. The infrastructure and services available to citizens should also be improved. These infrastructure and service improvements can include more closed garbage cans, the distribution of closed waste bins to residents and more cleanliness brigades. For example, the Plateau-Mont-Royal has cleanliness brigades on duty for over 11,000 hours per year. Villeray–Saint Michel–Parc-Extension only has them on duty for 1,750 hours per year, despite being twice as large.

Ensemble Montréal is also asking the borough to invest more in awareness campaigns and to increase the number of inspectors responsible for issuing tickets. In 2022, only 275 tickets were issued in the borough of VSMPE. The local administration is also invited to draw inspiration from the borough of Saint-Laurent, where they are integrating RFID chips into compost, waste and recycling bins. This makes it possible both to measure their efforts and to tailor their awareness campaign actions.

“It is very important not to delay and to accompany citizens in changing their habits. In the borough of Saint-Laurent, we took the lead as soon as we saw a problem appear and we made sure to provide all the tools to the citizens so that they take the right action,” explained the mayor of the borough of Saint-Laurent, Mr. Alan DeSousa.
These solutions complement the measures presented by the elected representatives of Ensemble Montréal last February to better control the rat population in Montreal.