The city is asking people across Windsor to "be a good neighbour" as they remind property owners about their responsibility when it comes to addressing things like dirty yards.
Messages and videos are being shared on social media by the city's bylaw enforcement department as part of a proactive campaign aimed at educating people about the existing bylaws around dirty yards.
Dirty yard complaints cover everything from long grass, nuisance shrubs and landscaping, garbage and debris, or even household items left outdoors.
Craig Robertson, Manager of Licensing and Enforcement, says they want to make sure the community understands what the rules are.
"So we're hopeful with this education campaign that we send our messaging out there, limit the calls, keep our city clean, and encourage people to just be a good neighbour, and love the place where you live," he says.
The bylaw enforcement division responded to nearly 16,000 service requests in 2023, which he calls "pretty significant."
Robertson says that as of July 31, the bylaw enforcement division had completed close to 6,700 complaints, with around 1,800 more needing to be addressed.
"We're about halfway to what we reached last year, so hopefully with the education campaign, and this is just the start of what is to come, we can lower those service calls coming in, educate our community, and just make it a better and cleaner place to live," he says.
Keep Windsor alleys clean! Craig Robertson, Manager of Licensing & Enforcement, reminds residents to maintain their alleys: cut grass under 12 inches, remove weeds, & clear debris. Use 311 and public drop-off for bulky items. Let’s keep our city beautiful! #BeAGoodNeighbour #YQG pic.twitter.com/W7oUU1MdjS
— City of Windsor (@CityWindsorON) July 31, 2024
Robertson says they have a great bylaw enforcement team, but it is a challenge with the amount of work they have.
"We're taking the approach to provide that public outreach and education to make people aware," he says. "Our first course of action is not to issue fines or drop Thor's hammer on you, but we want the public to be aware of what their responsibilities are."
If a complaint has been filed, bylaw officers will conduct a site inspection and issue an order to comply, giving the property owner seven days to bring their property up to bylaw standards.
If the property owner fails to comply with an order, the city has the ability to go in and conduct a clean-up with the expenses applied to the property tax bill.
The city currently has 12 full-time bylaw enforcement officers.