Coquitlam bylaw officers have been busy making sure residents are properly securing their garbage — and they’re doling out stiff fines to people who aren’t getting the message.
Since the beginning of the year, 325 residents have received $500 fines, a more than 600% increase from the 45 tickets that were issued by this point in 2016.
Steffanie Warriner, the city’s manager of environmental services, said the stepped up enforcement is necessary in order to limit animal attractants and keep bears from wandering into populated areas.
“It is substantially different from last year,” she told The Tri-City News Thursday. “We have patrolled every single street… That is in addition to our ongoing regular work.”
It appears the increase in the number of tickets issued is starting to pay off.
A recent audit of 25,000 homes found that 17% of residents were putting their garbage and green carts out at the curb before collection day, a violation of the city’s bylaws. The audit was conducted between late April and early June and found numerous violations, including from 200 residents with a history of non-compliance.
But Warriner said staff is starting to see changes in behaviour, particularly on Burke Mountain, where residents have historically had more bear activity.
The volume of calls about bears is also up, she added, which indicates that residents are taking the problem seriously.
“That tells us that the majority of people do care about this issue,” she said. “We take that as a really positive sign.”
On Wednesday, the city held its first ever Bear Smart 101 workshop, which had more than 250 attendees — in fact, it had to be moved from its original location in council chambers at city hall to the theatre at the nearby Evergreen Cultural Centre. Warriner said the city will likely hold another workshop next year.
Coquitlam has also unveiled a new video, using children and humour to demonstrate that there are no excuses for not complying with the animal attractant rules (you can view the video with this story at tricitynews.com).
• For more information, residents can go to www.coquitlam.ca/bearsmart or contact 604-927-3500 or [email protected].
BE BEAR AWARE
Tips from the city of Coquitlam:
• Don’t put meat and strong-smelling food scraps in your green bin until collection day.
• Secure wildlife clips on green carts when it is not collection day.
• Store garbage, green carts and recycling in an area inaccessible to bears and other wildlife.
• Only place green and garbage carts, and recycling at the curbside after 5:30 a.m. on collection day.
• Store refrigerators and freezers inside.
• Keep pet food inside.
• Pick fruit.
• Suspend bird feeders and clean up fallen seed.
• Practice responsible composting.
• Keep your green cart clean between collection days.
• Keep barbecues clean.
@gmckennaTC
