Downtown cleanup draws record numbers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/05/2024 (840 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Brandon’s Deb and Brent Gray picked up litter in the city’s downtown on Tuesday afternoon, they had big smiles on their faces.

Deb was armed with an extended trash-grabbing tool, and as she placed a piece of garbage into the bag held by her husband, said helping the community made them feel good.

“We came out because we wanted to help. Our section was Seventh Street from Princess to Rosser Avenue right in front of Super Thrift and Helping Hands soup kitchen. Then we went down the back alley and all the way around. Besides feeling a bit sweaty,” she said as she laughed, “it was good.”

The Grays were two of the dozens of people who answered the call sent out by the city to help with the third annual downtown spring community cleanup, said Shannon Saltarelli, the city’s community housing and wellness co-ordinator.

“We had 85 participants, which was the highest number we’ve had in all three years. So that’s really exciting to keep this event going — it just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year,” Saltarelli said.

Princess Park — on the corner of Princess Avenue and Eighth Street — served as the headquarters and check-in for all volunteers, with sweets provided by Chez Angela Bakery and Café.

Information tables were staffed by the city’s cleanup day partners: the Harm Reduction Network, the Women’s Resource Centre, the Men’s Resource Centre, Ask Auntie, Housing First, Prairie Mountain Health and the city’s environmental team.

“We’re very proud of our downtown,” said Saltarelli. “We want downtown to be a space where people feel comfortable coming to enjoy the great food, restaurants, retail — all the things that downtown has to offer — and it’s important to keep it clean and safe.

“So we want to lead the way by showing that we want to take care of it as a city, and the community wants to help take care of it, too.”

Each volunteer was assigned a section of downtown between Fourth and 12th Street and from Pacific to Louise Avenue.

Additionally, they received a high visibility safety vest, gloves, garbage bags, an extended trash-grabbing tool and a container to pick up needles — also referred to as sharps. Saltarelli said each volunteer was “offered training on how to pick up sharps effectively.”

The good news, Saltarelli added, came to them in the feedback as the volunteers returned with their garbage bags.

“A lot of people have told us there’s less debris downtown than what they were expecting, and that’s really positive for us to hear. Even so, we still have quite a pile of bags that we have collected.

“But it’s so good to see that people who came to help were impressed with the cleanliness compared to years past,” she said.

Deb Gray said she noticed less litter along Seventh Street, but the amount in the parking lot behind the old fire hall on Princess Avenue “was a lot.”

“But basically, if I was to give a good message to people, I’d say pick up your garbage. There are receptacles all over the place, just use them. It’s a good community thing to do.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele