The degree of the slope, “extremely steep”, poses a problem.
“We don’t have the right tools. Are you going to take a big excavator? We might be heading towards that […].”
— Julie Bourdon
Grocery carts, wooden pallets, clothes and other tarpaulins “unfortunately will not be removed tomorrow morning,” concedes the mayor.
How long will this trash stay there? Obviously, several more weeks. Several months?
“Our objective is to carry out the cleaning, but we are in the process of discussing with specialized firms who could take on this mandate. We are in a call for tenders at this time. You must take the time to give the contract before proceeding. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to call on an external specialized firm,” explains Ms. Bourdon.
A particular challenge
The mayor of Granby ensures that waste present in public spaces is diligently collected by public works.
Cleaning up trash associated with people experiencing homelessness is part of the City’s new action plan on homelessness, she specifies.
Julie Bourdon, mayor of Granby, during the municipal council meeting on March 25 (Stéphane Champagne/Archives La Voix de l’Est)
“In the action plan, we plan to clean up more quickly everywhere in the territory when there is waste that can be linked to the issue of homelessness, so we always do it as quickly as possible.”
Those located behind the Imperial are therefore a special case.
“There is really difficulty accessing the bank. There’s something at stake behind Imperial.”
— Julie Bourdon
Elsewhere in town, “you don’t see things lying around everywhere,” she puts it into perspective. “Our public works are in action on the ground, they make sure to carry out the planned cleaning when we are notified or when we see it.”
No help for homeless people for safety reasons
Sylvie Flibotte, a reader whose opinion letter we published last month (see “Also read”, at the beginning of the article), suggests that “people without a fixed address should be called upon, in collaboration with the City of Granby, to clean up the pile of trash along the Yamaska River.
We see a wheel flush with the surface of the water, and other objects about to fall into the river. (Catherine Trudeau/La Voix de l’Est)
She puts forward the idea that “street workers or others who take care of them could [participer à l’opération de nettoyage]”.
Questioned by The Voice of the Eastthe mayor’s office indicates that security requirements require that cleaning be done only by the company that will be chosen at the end of the call for tenders.
There is no question of including the homeless in the clean-up here. We don’t know if they could be elsewhere.
Note that the Impact de rue organization, which includes five street workers in Granby, will soon offer people in very precarious situations — particularly the homeless — small paid jobs, whether maintenance work. , painting, waste collection, or other.
This work is part of a social reintegration program that is part of the City’s homelessness action plan.
According to the City of Granby, it is estimated that 50 people lived on the streets last year and that 150 were experiencing “invisible” homelessness.
