‘Vicious cycle’: Winnipeg man upset with back lane garbage

People living on College Avenue say their back lane looks more like a city dump than a road.

A Winnipeg man is fed up with the amount of garbage left in the back lane near his home, saying it looks more like a dump than an alley.

John Sherman said the amount of garbage in the back lane of his College Avenue home is unacceptable.

He said right before garbage collection day, the bins are rifled through for items of value.

“The bylaw officer was by yesterday, so that’ll probably be cleaned up,” Sherman said. “Then it’ll happen all over again.”

Sherman said he has lived in the area for four years and said not much has changed despite repeated calls to the city.

“It’s a vicious cycle,” he said.

A city spokesperson told CTV News Winnipeg, Licensing & Bylaw Enforcement (LBE) have received complaints about the properties near Sherman’s home and confirmed inspections have been performed. The spokesperson said that in general, if a violation exists, officers will take action.

“The officer will issue an order to the property owner outlining a date when the observed violations need to be corrected by and conduct a follow-up inspection after the compliance date,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement. “If the violation still exists, then a ticket with a fine is issued.”

Fines for garbage on property are $200 for individuals and $400 for corporations.

The spokesperson added that for repeat offenders or instances of gross negligence, the city can take steps to remove the garbage and add the costs to the homeowner’s property taxes.

Sherman said he won’t leave his garbage out overnight opting instead to put it out in the morning before the trucks arrive.

With files from CTV’s Scott Andersson