This weekend kicked off Montreal’s Grande Corvée, an annual event aimed at cleaning up and beautifying the city.
Spring cleaning events are taking place in various Montreal boroughs and will continue into next week as well.
According to Anie Samson, vice-president of the city’s executive committee committee – which is responsible for cleanliness – keeping the city clean is a shared responsibility.
“The city is the business of everyone,” she said. “We need the participation of citizens because the city is their city too. They live there, so they have to have that responsibility to say: ‘We have to work all together.'”
There are some 600 cleaning blitzes planned and those wanting to take part need to sign up on the city’s website.
The city provides all the necessary tools, and participants even get a T-shirt and bag when they sign up.
Last year, some 22,000 people took part in the cleaning effort effort and this year, organizers hope to attract 25,000.
But sprucing up the city isn’t just about cleaning up and city pride, it’s also about forging community ties.
“What is very important, is that people here… the neighbours don’t know each other. But with a day like that, they make some contact and they can see their neighbour,” Samson said.
Samson made a point of thanking those who got their hands dirty as they spruced up the Brin de Ruelle alley in Villeray on Sunday.
She also extended her thanks to those who took part in other blitzes across the island, and expressed hope residents would keep up the effort all season long.
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