Montreal cracks down on cleanliness, could start fining landlords

Montreal is stepping up its efforts to keep the streets clean. But not everyone is on board with the city's latest approach to tackling garbage issues.

The City of Montreal is stepping up its efforts to keep the streets clean.

Maja Vodanovic, who sits on the executive committee and serves as Lachine’s borough mayor, says property owners could face fines if trash is left where it should not be.

“We want the city to be cleaner,” said Vodanovic.

Vodanovic says there’s been a noticeable rise in improper garbage disposal since the pandemic.

“People are calling us about it,” she said.

Residents can be fined hundreds of dollars for putting out trash on the wrong day or not following disposal rules.

Inspectors often search through garbage bags, looking for clues to identify who’s responsible. But Vodanovic says that is getting harder to do.

“There’s no more addresses in the garbage bags,” said Vodanovic, noting that most bills and letters are now sent digitally.

To solve the issue, the city is considering fining property owners, even if the trash was left by a tenant.

But not everyone is on board with the city’s latest approach to tackling garbage issues.

“We’re basically speechless,” said Eric Sansoucy, spokesperson for CORPIQ, a group that represents Quebec landlords.

“How can a landlord be reasonably expected to monitor the daily actions of all their tenants?” he added.

The city says it’s not targeting people who occasionally forget which day is garbage day. Instead, it’s focusing on buildings with ongoing issues.

“Where there is a recurring problem, I think the landlord needs to be engaged with us and talk to his tenants,” said Vodanovic.

At the moment, nothing is finalized, says Vodanovic. City officials say they’re still working out when any new rules might come into effect.