EDMONTON — It’s been described by residents as “terribly unsightly” and now a yard sale in the McKernan neighbourhood has finally been shut down by the City of Edmonton.
On Sept. 15, the city filed an injunction against the yard sale, which has been running since the beginning of July on the front and back lawns of a home in the area of 114 Street and 78 Avenue.
On Friday, that injunction was granted by the Court of Queen’s Bench, giving the property owner 48 hours to remove all of the unsightly items off the property.
The injunction was granted based on two criteria: that the property was unsightly and that it was clear the operation was being run as an illegal business.
“I think what was clear in the decision is that a yard sale that goes on without end is considered a business, it’s not a personal endeavor,” said Ryan Pleckaitis, director of Complaints and Investigations with the City of Edmonton. “Any business that’s operating in the City of Edmonton does require a valid City of Edmonton business licence.”
Global News reached out to the property owner, Matthew Peter, who had the following to say about the situation:
“The yard sale was a fabulous success. Over 8,000 kilograms was diverted from the landfill,” Peter said over the phone Saturday. “That’s the only statement I can make. It was a fabulous success. It was fantastic. I’m not upset at all.”
READ MORE: Neighbours fed up with ‘unsightly’, ‘ongoing’ yard sale in south Edmonton
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Used cutlery, deflated beach balls, old lawn mowers and doors were just a few of the items that were up for sale. But on Saturday afternoon, the property looked much different. Most of the junk, as neighbours described it, had already been cleared out.
Area residents have been pushing for the removal of the yard sale since August. While many in the area are relieved it’s finally over, they believe the city should have acted much sooner.
“I think it’s an important thing to keep our city looking good. But also, if it’s an illegal business it has to be shut down, so I’m just surprised it took so long to get that done,” said Bryce Thomsen, who moved to the area in May.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before and I thought this community had a better image than that… I was kind of taken off guard.”
“I definitely feel the city should have done a lot more, faster,” added fellow McKernan resident Jesse. “I’m just glad it’s finally over.”
READ MORE: ‘It is so terribly unsightly’: South Edmonton residents want month-long yard sale gone
Pleckaitis sympathized with residents, but said the city has legal processes it has to follow.
“We do have to operate within the confines of the law,” he said. “I know this has been a long haul for the community, it’s taken about three months to get to this point, and I do want to thank the community for their patience while we try to deal with this issue.”
If all of the items aren’t removed from the property within 48 hours, the City of Edmonton can go in and seize the items.
City bylaws state a garage sale can be no longer than three days long, and one property can not hold more than three sales per year.
Below are some pictures of what the property looked like before the yard sale was shut down.
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