A report before Saint John council shows illegal dumping has increased in the city this year.
Between 2016 and 2019, the city averaged 348 job orders annually dealing with illegal dumping. This year, that number has already hit 343.
Councillor John MacKenzie previously brought forward similar concerns after being alerted to instances of illegal dumping in his ward. He believes the issue is bigger than just residents dumping in prohibited areas.
“There are people putting garbage out two or three days before collection or piling it in the backyard for two weeks and everything gets into it because it’s not getting composted,” MacKenzie said. “Then you get neighbours complaining.”
MacKenzie says he’d like to see the Municipalities Act give the city more power to enforce bylaws.
“We should be able to go on the property, take a couple of pictures, write up a ticket, and then you pay the fine or you’d be arrested or whatever,” MacKenzie said.
He believes the current process isn’t effective enough.
“We write a ticket, but then if you challenge it and go to court, we gotta pay court costs. It’s a lot more money than the ticket’s worth.”
