Not emptied, removed

Overflowing garbage bin judged a “nuisance”

One Deschênes resident was dumbfounded when she noticed Gatineau Public Works had removed a garbage bin at the south end of Vanier Road near Martel Street. The resident had complained to the city because the bin was overflowing with garbage, but she did not expect the city to remove the bin in early March.

A city spokesperson explained that the bin was removed because it was a “nuisance to nearby residents”.

This is not the first the time that Deschênes residents have had to argue to keep garbage bins in their community. In 2014, Howard Powles, Deschênes Residents’ Association (DRA) President, fought to have three bins re-installed in Old Deschênes. In that year, the city had removed one bin near the boat launch, close to Lamoureux Street, one at the Vanier Road parking lot, and one near Brébeuf Street. The city offered the same rationale, that although well-used, the bins were a nuisance to nearby residents. Following Powles’ pressure, the city eventually re-installed the bin at the southern point of Vanier Road in the summer of 2014.