Category Archives: Garbage

Off-Leash Area Update

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Raymore-Proposed-Leash-Free-Zone

The proposed area may have grown (probably northwards) by a small amount because of the addition of a separate small dog section. There was some discussion as to the nature of the surface of the area which apparently will be 4-6″ of pea gravel on top of a mesh filter which will help with drainage. As mentioned, plans are to divide the area into two parts for small and large dogs so there will be two gates and two paved pathways from the Pan-Am Trail for access. The small dog area would be for dogs 20 lbs and under. Regardless, all dogs should be under the owner’s control at all times. Dangerous dogs should not use the area. See Code of Conduct below.*

Fencing will be post and paddle, 1.5 m tall and made of northern pine. It will be reinforced with wire mesh 4-6″ deep to deter dogs that dig. Benches will be installed for owners.

There will be a delay in the opening of the area because of work currently ongoing on the retaining wall. This is taking longer than expected. There is only one entrance to the park and so the retaining wall and another job – an upgrade to the path will be done first; after that, sewer work will be ongoing. The reckoning is that the area will take about a month to set up and will be open by ‘Thanksgiving at the latest’.

One piece of good news is that TRCA has plans to plant trees along the north end of the area and between the area and the ravine slope. This will provide storm runoff relief and shade for the area (and perhaps some sound mitigation for nearby homes).

Hours of operation: 7 am – 9 pm but locals will be able to access the area at any time. The parking lot will continue to be locked at 9:30pm daily and re-open at 8:00am and will be closed for the Winter between November 1st and April 30.

There was a reminder to residents that the area will be self-policing and that they should supervise and pick up after their pets. There was confusion as to where to put dog waste – in the garbage or the recycling. This will be cleared up later (the location not the waste).

Sadly there is still no link on the City website to the plans or even the current state of off-leash parks.

*Code of Conduct for Off Leash Area

Municipal Code Chapter #608

  1. Comply with all signs and boundaries.
  2. Dog(s) must be on leash at all times except when in the designated off-leash area.
  3. All dog(s) must have a visible municipal license affixed to the dog(s).
  4. Dog(s) must remain in off-leash area so as not to trample or endanger plant material and other park resources.
  5. Dog(s) excluded from off-leash areas include:
    1. Pit Bulls or other dangerous animal
    2. Female dogs in heat
    3. Any dog(s) that has been issued a muzzle order by the Medical Officer of Health.
  6. Dogs shall not chase wildlife.
  7. Pick up after your dog(s) and place waste in receptacle or take home for disposal.
  8. Keep dogs in sight and under control at all times.
  9. Do not leave dog(s) unattended while in off-leash area.
  10. Repair holes dug by the dog(s) under your control.

Violation of Bylaws are punishable by fines.

Strange behaviour…

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As a regular in Raymore Park, people watching is part of the daily experience. Patterns of behaviour are often identifiable and the brain automatically assigns a category to people – for example dog walker, jogger, person in transit etc. This morning, I encountered a young woman walking in a way that defied easy categorization. She was coming from Scarlettwood Court and instead of joining the path, marched towards the river. I watched as she stepped down to the water’s edge and walked along the bank to the peninsula, her pace making it clear that she was not a sightseer. Once on the far bank, she retrieved a plastic bag from a holdall, quickly dropped the contents into the water and returned. In the meantime I moved closer and stood by her exit from the river. I looked at her questioningly and she retorted, ‘What?’.

‘What did you put in the river?’, I asked. She seemed embarrassed.

‘It’s wax’.

‘Why would you put wax in the river, why not throw it in a garbage bin?’

‘It’s private – something I had to do.’

She began to walk off.

‘Why poison the wildlife?’

‘I’m sorry’, she threw the remark over her shoulder and strode off, not looking back.

I walked down to the water and sure enough, the wax was floating exactly where it was dropped thanks to an onshore wind.

The wax, where it was dumped.

The wax, where it was dumped.

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A better look at the wax.

Having no shame, I lay on the bank and fished it out of the water – a substantial lump, possibly from a large candle or wax figure – and dumped it in the garbage.

Sorry, it's private.

Sorry, dumping waste in a public park is not a private act.

I’ll probably never know the story behind the wax; whether or not it was some kind of occult leftover that had to be sent to the ocean – one can speculate endlessly. I am sure that if karma, voodoo, Air Miles or any kind of points were being awarded today, this young woman scored a big fat zero.

It’s your park too; get involved!

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The Toronto Parks System is huge, occupying 12% of the city and consisting of hundreds of parks of varying size. Some are tiny little parkettes measured in square metres while others are measured in hectares. While it would be wonderful to have park staff available on site to solve problems at each location, sadly, this is not possible.  At one time, contacting a park supervisor was a laborious process. Now thanks to 311, it’s a lot easier.

So what can an ordinary resident do if they see a problem in their local park?

In my experience, Toronto’s  311 system, has made contact with park supervisors a lot easier. Operators will either forward your call to the voice mailbox of a supervisor or they will write up a work order themselves.

Here is an example of a situation I recently tackled in Lions Park, which is the one next to Raymore.

The problem:

Litter is the enemy of parks. It’s a hazard to wildlife and it puts off visitors. When litter levels reach a certain point, ordinary visitors and sightseers begin to drop away. Litter that stays on the ground actually attracts more, as people are less inhibited when the place is already a mess. It’s tough to fight human nature.

Lions Park contains a sports complex which includes a FIFA standard soccer field. Quite often, secondary soccer games spring up and for goalposts, garbage and recycling bins were easily commandeered from various positions around the park. After the game, the bins either stayed or ended up around the main field leaving vast areas without bins. Garbage became even more of a problem. In addition, the location of the bins was problematic as the photos will illustrate.

These stairs generate a large amount of garbage.

These stairs generate a large amount of garbage – no bins in sight.

Bins are located far from the stairs.

Bins (on right of picture) are located far from the stairs.

The stairs are often used as bleachers as they are above the soccer field. They also act as a hang-out spot. While it’s impractical to place bins on the stairs, no bins were visible making disposal inconvenient.

Bleachers - another big source of litter.

Bleachers – another big source of litter and bins too far away.

Bleachers generate large amounts of garbage. These back onto the delicate ecosystem of the Humber while the nearest bins were too far away.

With a problem outlined and a strategy for improvement in my head, I phoned 311. Unfortunately it was not possible to leave a message for the Park Supervisor as her phone mailbox was constantly full.

With the supervisor unavailable, I again called 311 and action was promised. Sure enough, stakes were hammered into the ground and as is standard practice, bins wired to them. Unfortunately, there was nothing to stop anyone disconnecting the wires and removing the bins. Within a couple of days, the bins had returned to being goalposts. To make matters worse, bins had been located poorly.

Eventually, the park supervisor got back to me after I placed a call to 311 and her boss. She explained that bin placement was not decided by Toronto Parks. The people who remove the waste now decide locations. A call made to Solid Waste Management soon got me in touch with Carson Freeman who agreed to come out and meet me on site. We discussed the issues and decided on a course of action which was carried out.

To cut a long story short, within a relatively short period of time, action was taken. Bins were placed in better locations and padlocked into place. The Parks supervisor sent a crew to clean up the garbage by the stairs and a new start was made.

People can now see a bin when descending the stairs.

People can now see a bin when descending the newly cleaned stairs.

Bleachers have a bin that's closer.

These bins are harder to ignore.

Bins at the foot of the stairs (as well as at the top).

Bins at the foot of the stairs (as well as at the top).

The clincher - padlocks to stop bins from wandering.

The clincher – padlocks to stop bins from wandering.

I’m guessing that such intervention by an ordinary citizen is rare. The level of cooperation was outstanding – after all, park staff want clean parks too. They can’t be in every park every day but rely on knowledgeable citizen responses much of the time to point out problems and suggest solutions. By politely pointing out a concern and offering a workable solution, private citizens and parks management can work together to solve park problems.

Incidentally, the people who drop much of the litter are probably still doing so. Despite that, the new bin placement acts as a visible nag to do the right thing, makes things easier for responsible citizenry as well as for ‘park angels’ who actively pick up litter when they see it.

Want to get involved? – It’s a great thing to do. Just remember the three ‘P’s, Politeness, Persistence, and a well thought out Plan.

Litter idiot of the day.

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It’s rare when someone is so blatant as to drop garbage in front of witnesses but on Tuesday July 2nd, this elderly gent had no qualms. His diet Mountain Dew had been drained and what’s a man to do when he’s on a fitness walk? Carry it to the recycling bin conveniently located in the parking lot? Not a chance. Why not just toss it and hope someone is there to pick up after him. Calls to get his attention went unheeded and he gamely motored on.

Interestingly, the group in the distance on bicycles consists of four officers out of a group of 25 who have been assigned to patrol the Weston area for the summer. If my wife can walk alone and without weapons through the park and streets of Weston, why oh why do our police feel a grouping of four is the minimum necessary to feel safe while on patrol?

Community clean-up day.

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Today is Community Clean-up Day and in honour of the day, I brought a plastic shopping bag with me and went through the wild area with Mugsey. It’s bitterly cold today and with the temperature just above zero the park was almost empty.

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A typical collection of garbage found in the wild area.

Amongst other bits of human detritus there was a glove, many plastic bags and wrappers, 4 plastic bottles, 1 bag of dog poo (left by my friend ‘Dave)’, a couple of other bags of dog poo, a grade 9 math text, chunks of styrofoam, cigarette packs etc.

Not a bad haul and I could have filled another bag in the wild area alone but since every day is clean-up day for me, it can wait until tomorrow. Another bag or two and the wild area should be clear of trash. The theory goes that people are more reluctant to drop litter if the place is clean.

There was one other person in the park, a lady with a very active small dog that seemed bent on chasing wildlife. When our paths crossed I gave her the greeting reserved for such occasions, ‘Hey, did you see the coyote when you went through there?’. The dog was put on leash in an instant and the two of them beat a hasty retreat. I hate lying but wildlife has a tough enough time in the park without being harassed by off-leash dogs and their inconsiderate owners.

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A couple of mysteries solved.

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A couple of updates while we’re waiting for spring.

I discovered the identity of the ‘Douche’ who has been leaving packages of dog poo around the park. Yesterday, I brought a plastic shopping bag with me so that I could grab the odd bits of litter as I walked through the park. I passed by the lower entrance to the woods and the pile of bags that were left there all winter. There were four of them and another three along the way including a fresh one hanging on a tree. Into the plastic bag with all of them.

Before...

Before… notice the very old one at 11 o’clock from the newer pile of 3.

After!

After!

After doing my civic duty (and seething about the fresh bag of dog crap left hanging on a tree), I was talking about the ‘Poo Bomber‘ (also mentioned here) to a fellow dog owner; let’s call him Dave, and he said, ‘That’s me. Rather than carry them all the way through the park, I leave them and pick them up later’. Needless to say I was gobsmacked and mentioned that many had not been picked up. ‘That’s not me’, Dave insisted. This was just after picking up seven identical bags scattered through the woods – including the one on the tree. I didn’t press the point but at least I’m not watching out for who it is any more. Hopefully Dave will get the hint from now on. I mentioned that I keep a blog and he keeps telling me he’ll get around to reading it. I guess I’ll know when he does.

As for what I thought was a BMX track in the woods, I saw it in use the other day. A couple of adults and a small child came down the hill following a remote controlled toy truck of some kind. The track is for the toy and everyone stands and watches this thing trundle its way over the course. Go figure.

Park Clean Up

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Aren't people wonderful!

Aren’t people wonderful! All within easy reach of garbage cans too. Cycle path at Scarlett just north of La Rose.

On Tuesday I emailed local Councillor Doug Ford about the huge amount of litter along the cycle path just north of Eglinton.  Yesterday a clean-up crew came to this end of the park and unfortunately they missed most of the litter since they didn’t bother reaching over the 4′ fence or walking into the wild area. I called the park supervisor today today and he sent them out again very quickly.  The original concern i.e. the litter on the cycle path remains unaddressed.
Here is the email:

Hi Doug,

Now that the snow has gone, I notice there is a huge amount of garbage along the cycle path from just above Eglinton to just north of La Rose. I try and pick up the odd pieces of trash but this is beyond my abilities. I enclose a photograph for illustration purposes. I was wondering if a crew could be sent out to take care of this…

We have had a long winter and the snow has only just cleared. Regardless, there must be a way to keep on top of litter throughout the winter months. God forbid that a city worker should occasionally have to walk along the trail.

Some councillors organize community clean-up days where people in a neighbourhood spend a couple of hours hauling trash from local parks. I think this is passing the buck and neighbourhoods that aren’t so cohesive or those without strong community involvement end up being compromised even further.

A load of rubbish.

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A sad sight in any park is litter. This morning I noticed a Coke can embedded in a block of ice. There it lay, eventually destined to be pressed into the earth (were it not for my intervention) where it would stay for the next few hundred years.

Used once, life expectancy: 500 years.

Used once, life expectancy: 500 years.

We marvel today at Roman ruins that are buried several feet underground and wonder how this happened. The secret is that over the years, people threw waste where they liked. Back then, it was largely organic and when mixed in with the occasional broken crockery eventually became part of the soil. Nowadays, most organic waste ends up in the sewer while our garbage is metal or plastic and does not break down easily.

Plastic bottles - the triumph of marketing over need.

Plastic bottles – the triumph of marketing over need.

Soft drink corporations have lobbied hard to ensure that there is no deposit paid on bottles or cans. They surely know that many of their empty containers end up as litter but are unwilling to be good corporate citizens as this would cost money. Corporate money pays for political campaigns so we all know the chances of anything being done by politicians.

A tarp from a building site wraps around a tree.

A tarp from a building site wraps around a tree.

Adapting the broken window theory, it’s easy to see that litter attracts more litter. Unfortunately, this view is not shared by our park managers. They seem to wait until litter has reached a certain level before sending out a crew to clean it up. Most of us will pick up a can or two and drop it in a garbage can but things like tarps are likely there for keeps without council intervention.

At least this coffee cup is made of paper.

I used to think coffee cups were made of paper. They are but lined with plastic; the lid is entirely plastic.

Litter is a big threat to parks – not just aesthetically but things like plastic bags and can holders are detrimental to wildlife. It’s up to park users to ensure that we clean up after ourselves (and occasionally others). It should also become a higher priority for park managers.