The removal of around thirty trash cans from the banks of the Lachine Canal in Montreal has some frequent visitors fearing that the waste will end up on the ground.
In a Facebook post Friday, Parks Canada said the removal of trash cans is “to encourage citizens to take responsibility for managing waste destined for landfills.”
Ariana Ranjbar, a frequent visitor, noticed that bags of dog poop were starting to pile up beside the canal since the trash bins were removed in early April. She fears the measure will harm visitors to this recreational area known for its friendly atmosphere.
According to passerby Zaira Silva, Parks Canada does well to encourage visitors to its vast wilderness reserves to haul away their own waste. But according to her, this policy has no place in an urban park.
The Lachine Canal National Historic Site is a 14-kilometer strip of federal land that extends from the Lachine district in the west to the Old Port in the east. According to the Parks Canada website, the site attracts more than a million visitors per year.
Parks Canada has teams ready to pick up waste and “evaluate and adapt this project on an ongoing basis,” it says in a document published online Wednesday by the organization.
Parks Canada did not make anyone available for an interview.