So far this year, Calgary crews have responded to nearly 3,300 calls to clean up construction materials, household garbage, dumped mattresses and more — and the illegal dumping issue is in the sights of the provincial government. Legislation will be coming this fall to increase fines for offenders of illegal dumping, and, if passed, courts will be able to impose jail time. “The days of leaving other people to clean up the mess and cover the costs, and the days of getting a slap on the wrist for this careless action if they get caught, are over,” Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday. “Those who make the mess should bear the consequences for it,” she added. According to 2026 statistics provided to CTV News, city crews have so far responded to 3,284 service requests to clean up garbage and debris left on public and private property. Bylaw officers have also issued 46 tickets related material on public property, as of the end of August. Rishab Uppal is a resident of northeast Calgary and says he’s been seeing the illegal dumping issue firsthand. “It’s just getting bad and it’s just not good to see,” Uppal said, while standing near a mattress he says was discarded near the sidewalk weeks ago. He moved to his current home two years ago and said the garbage issue has been getting worse. “Since day one, I feel that we have been having all those issues regarding the dumping part. And now it’s come down to the streets as well. We are noticing people dumping illegal stuff and whatever they could just outside the bins as well,” Uppal added. Provincial legislation set to be introduced this fall would set fines of between $10,000 and $100,000 for individuals caught illegally dumping. If passed, an offending corporation could face fines of up to a million dollars. Alberta’s minister of environment also said the new rules would allow courts to impose jail time of between 30 days to six months. “These penalties will be enforced following due process by municipal bylaw officers in Alberta’s Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas,” said Grant Hunter. “The message is simple: illegally dumping waste in Alberta will have serious consequences for those who do it,” said the minister.
