The City of Calgary has told the Western Standard they are "evaluating the placement of security cameras in identified problem areas," in its northeast community of Saddle Ridge, while also increasing peace officer patrolling in the area due to much illegal dumping that has been plaguing it.The city says the number of illegal dumping incidents reported in the area has remained consistent when comparing it to last year's numbers, though they have observed larger and more highly visible dumping areas being used frequently.They say though they do not provide cleanup services for illegally dumped garbage, they "support community cleanup initiatives in partnership with local community associations."It points to a community cleanup event taking place in the community on September 27, "intended to provide residents with access to disposal bins to help reduce clutter and materials.".This comes in light of significant coverage on illegal dumping in Saddle Ridge, where loads of "stinky" garbage are piling up, turning it into an unofficial dumping ground.“When it rains, you can’t just pass by there, it’s too stinky, like these days, it’s stinky now,” accounts one resident, Daljeet Singh, to CTV News.Much illegal junk is scattered across new development land in the community, including (but likely not limited to), mattresses, building materials, clothing, and empty food containers.“Whenever I go for a walk, I see this garbage dump over on this side and even on the other side,” Singh claimed, pointing to an area near 87 Ave. N.E. where two undeveloped lots meet the edge of his community, which are currently under the final stages of construction..One worker on the developments in the community, Charlie Simpson, stated to CTV News, “You can’t keep up,“ with the junk people keep littering on the land, pointing out much of it is right beside homes where people will be moving in.A field service coordinator for Jubilee Engineering, Simpson claims, “We don’t know who does it, they just do it when nobody’s watching.” Simpson says his development company cleaned up a bunch of junk in the community back in the fall, and spring this year.Compared to going to the dump and paying a $25 fee, the fines for being caught dumping can be as high as $10,000 in Calgary, and offenders may be ordered to clean up the trash they dumped, if caught.
