City needs to tackle illegal dumping, Regina woman says after order to remove trash left on her property

A Regina woman who has been ordered by the city to clean up garbage on her property says the city needs to do something about the problem of illegal dumping — but a frustrated neighbour says it's up to property owners to make sure their lots are looked after.

Dawn Thomas-Cameron bought the property on Atkinson Street four years ago, intending to rent it out to earn extra income. Things were going fine until her tenant stopped paying rent, and she had to evict him, she says.

The property, which is on Atkinson between Arcola and Victoria avenues, sat empty for a while, but she found out from neighbours it was being occupied by squatters, who caused significant damage inside.

After a fire in the house, she had to knock it down, leaving an empty lot.

Thomas-Cameron recently got a notice from the City of Regina ordering her to clean up the garbage piling up on it.

But it wasn't her garbage — someone dumped a flatbed trailer, piled with debris, on her property, she says.

Thomas-Cameron says someone hauled this flatbed trailer full of garbage and left it on her Atkinson Street lot. Now it's up to her to have it removed, she says. (Louise Bigeagle/CBC)

"It's just really frustrating for me. I'm not a big landlord," she said, adding the now vacant lot is the only revenue property she owns.

"I'm still paying a mortgage, and now on top of that I have to deal with people dumping their stuff in the lot."

She doesn't know exactly when the trailer showed up on the lot. It has a licence plate on it, and Thomas-Cameron said she's reached out to both the City of Regina and police to see if anything can be done to the person who dumped it there.

"They won't charge the trailer owner," she said.

The notice, dated May 9, says she has until May 22 to clean up the mess. If she doesn't, Thomas-Cameron says she's been told the city will do the cleanup and fine her.

She planned to clean it up herself over the long weekend, but "now I'm out of pocket however much it's going to cost me to clean it up," she said.

Thomas-Cameron received a notice from the City of Regina, which she didn't know about until neighbours contacted her, to remove garbage on her lot. (Louise BigEagle/CBC)

A Regina Police Service spokesperson said illegal dumping is not a Criminal Code offence. A person can be prosecuted under the city's Clean Property Bylaw, but it is not a matter typically dealt with using police resources, the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the city, meanwhile, says it "understands the frustration of property owners who are victims of illegal dumping."

However, the city's Community Standards bylaw says property owners are responsible for making sure there are no violations of city regulations, "such as excessive garbage or junked vehicles on the property."

The spokesperson also said that "owners of vacant lots are more susceptible to illegal dumping than occupied properties," and the city recommends putting in fencing, motion lights or cameras to deter people from dumping on vacant lots.

'For those that live here, it's frustrating': neighbour

A neighbour who lives across the street from Thomas-Cameron's property says derelict properties are a problem in neighbourhoods around the city, including his.

"For those that live here, it's frustrating," said Ron Rider, who said he's lived in the neighbourhood for 15 years.

He called the Regina Fire Department when the fire started in the house on Thomas-Cameron's property, before it was knocked down. Before that, as many as 18 people were living in the house and six more in its garage at one point, he said. After it was torn down, the lot was covered with tall weeds.

Derelict homes and lots are essentially an invitation for squatters to take over, making the area unsafe for nearby homeowners and leading to crime like property theft, he said.

Ron Rider, who lives across the street from a property the City of Regina has ordered cleaned up, says derelict properties are becoming a problem in neighbourhoods across the city. (Adam Bent/CBC)

Rider said he's seen people illegally dump furniture in other unkempt vacant lots in the neighbourhood.

"If you mowed it, if you maintained it, people avoided it. They wouldn't even walk on the grass when it was short. They avoid things that are maintained," he said.

Rider thinks the city is moving in the right direction with respect to the bylaw enforcement it's doing, like boarding up vacant properties, but more needs to be done.

"We do have the infrastructure in place to police this, but … there has to be some teeth with respect to this, so that property owners do maintain their properties," he said.

"They may not live in this neighbourhood, but we do."

Ron Rider, who lives across from the property, took this photo. He said squatters moved into the house before it was torn down. (Submitted by Ron Rider)

Thomas-Cameron acknowledges she has "a lot to do in the yard, obviously," and said going forward, she plans to take better care of it.

"I know the neighbours are frustrated with me," she said. "I'm sorry to the neighbours for the grief that I've caused."

She said she's trying to sell the property, and has had it listed for over a year.

"I've dropped the price. I wish somebody would just buy it off me and I could be done with it."

Thomas-Cameron cleared out the garbage and the flatbed trailer during the May long weekend.

She said now she has to figure out how to prevent a similar situation from happening again.