(Nicole Reis/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By Nicole Reis

Illegal waste disposal

Landlord unhappy with city’s approach to illegal waste

Feb 26, 2020 | 4:48 PM

A landlord in the City of Meadow Lake is fed up with individuals using his property as a dumping ground.

Roger Epp, landlord of 212 and 214 Second Street East, said he’s unhappy with the city’s lack of enforcement with illegal dumping bylaws which he says costs him thousands in waste removal fees.

Epp told meadowlakeNOW he submitted photos to the city of alleged culprits and said there was no follow-up.

“It is the responsibility of tenants to get rid of their furniture themselves but it’s not only tenants; there are people from the in city who bring their furniture and leave it at the dumpsters,” Epp said. “We actually get written up and the city will fine us if we don’t clean up.”

The local landlord said he submitted video footage to bylaw enforcement officers depicting licence plates and photographs of individuals leaving their garbage behind. He said he does not have surveillance cameras on the property.

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Epp said he is in contact with Community Safety Officer Joe Hallahan on a regular basis about this specific matter and wants more city support for landlords.

MeadowlakeNOW reached out to several landlords in the community who said they rarely deal with illegal waste on their properties.

Hallahan was also contacted but did not immediately return calls.

(Nicole Reis/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

City Manager Diana Burton said she is not aware of conversations between Epp and bylaw officers and added the city worker involved with Epp’s complaint file is away on leave.

“We have a waste collection bylaw that, in summary…the owner of the land, the city manager or bylaw officer can direct someone to remove waste that is deposited illegally,” she said. “Section 10 says if the identity of the illegal dumper cannot be reasonably ascertained, then the property owner would be directed to remove the waste.”

If the city is not provided with reasonable proof of those illegally dumping, staff are unable to enforce waste bylaws toward illegal polluters. Burton said she shares landlord frustration though the city cannot police waste collection bins.

“In some circumstances, tenants will witness an unlawful dumping and the city will require a statement from that person, and often we can’t get it,” she said.

The city manager provided an example of an instance where an individual disposed waste on city property and an identifying piece of information, such as a utility bill, helped city staff issue a $1,000 fine to polluters who were clearly identified.

The city recommends if landlords are having repeated issues with unlawful large waste to lock bins and provide tenants with keys to access garbage bins.

Burton said the city has no way of confirming the identity of illegal polluters or whether tenants are in fact overflowing bins.

Fines for people caught illegally dumping could reach up to $10,000.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722