Cleanup efforts deserve our wholehearted praise

Opinion

One of the hallmarks of a healthy city is the way in which local community members treat shared public spaces in our community.

If garbage and other debris are cluttering city parks, streets and sidewalks, or unwanted graffiti has marred a number of buildings in a neighbourhood, it can be quite disheartening for area residents and visitors alike, as it adds to the perception of deterioration.

Of course, the same can be said about the many rivers and creeks that meander through western Manitoba, and it’s up to all Manitobans to take responsibility for keeping riverbanks and lake shores rubbish-free.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case in some popular fishing spots here in Brandon along the Assiniboine River.

As the Sun recounted last Saturday, Dale Hutchings, a member of the Brandon Wildlife Association, was fed up with seeing garbage strewn along the riverbank near his favourite fishing holes and decided to do something about it.

Hutchings had noticed a bunch of garbage down by the river while out walking his dog and figured that he’s capable of doing a little cleanup — one bag at a time at least. And so he did. What he was picking up, however, wasn’t only cardboard coffee cups and chip bags. Much of the refuse was being dumped by other fisherman who were not taking care of the public water resource they were using.

“We’re getting tackle boxes, pliers, spools, packages from the fishing companies, lure packing, some fishing line,” Hutchings told the Sun, as he held up two garbage bags of material he had collected the week before along the river near the Manitoba Hydro generating station. “There are also minnow and worm containers, so that’s fishermen — they just decided to leave it. I’ve picked up beer cans, Tim Hortons coffee cups, McDonald’s wrappers, because guys are eating at the river.”

Last Wednesday was the second week in a row that he and a friend had gone out to find and collect other people’s trash along the river. He had tried to get others to join the trash hunt, but Hutchings says none of the other fishers he knows personally bothered to show up.

“I understand some have worked all day. But if we get six or seven people, it should only be a 20-minute job,” he said. “There’s the opportunity to meet new people and if we get done early, go fishing if you want. So, it’s more of an opportunity to tell stories and walk with somebody you haven’t met.”

We commend Mr. Hutchings for his efforts to clean up our waterways in Brandon, and we hope that more people will follow his lead — even tonight.

Later this evening, Hutchins plans to target Dinsdale Park at 7 p.m., starting at the dock and winding his way toward First Street, and he’s inviting anyone who would like to help out. And on the last Wednesday of the month, he’ll hold yet another cleanup — this time at the end of 26th Street past the city’s water treatment plant.

It’s also worth taking the time to remind fishing enthusiasts in western Manitoba that they do not have exclusive rights to public fishing areas in this province, and that littering remains a public offence. The city’s Community Standards Bylaw, which regulates littering, can exact a $125 fine for a first offence if paid within the first 15 days — or up to $500 if not paid in the those first 15 days.

Of course, it would be good to see these kinds of fines handed out more often, as clearly there is a need for them.

And not just at city fishing holes.

Last year, an angry Brandon resident contacted the Sun because of the amount of litter and empty cans of alcohol that she regularly had to pick up in her west-end neighbourhood near Vincent Massey High School. No doubt she is not alone in her concerns, as similar situations are repeated across the city.

For example, when visiting Stanley Park — or really any of Brandon’s public parks — there is always some kind of rubbish to pick up on the grass that has been left there by individuals who couldn’t care less about the fact that other people want to use public facilities, too.

But thankfully, not everyone feels that way.

Last May, more than 130 volunteers answered the City of Brandon’s call to help make downtown Brandon a little more presentable during the now-annual Spring Downtown Community Clean-Up Day. That so many volunteers took the time to come down and rid the area of cans and bottles and other items was gratifying to see.

Clearly a large number of Brandonites want to help keep their city clean, and as a community we should always champion these efforts and do our best to support them. It’s simply unfortunate that the problem is perpetual.

As such, we encourage other Dale Hutchings wannabes to do their part to help keep our city clean by following his example.

Brandon in Bloom and the Brandon Environment Committee encourage city businesses, community groups, organizations and individuals to help do their part by organizing their own cleanup events.

These groups will even supply volunteers and organizers with bags and gloves to help get the work down. Just call 204-729-2171 for more information.

We hope Mr. Hutchings is successful in drawing a larger crowd of volunteers down at Dinsdale Park this evening. But even more so, we should all demand that Brandonites take more pride in where they live, and clean up after themselves so that these kinds of volunteer events aren’t necessary in the first place.