It’s finally starting to feel like spring in the city and Montrealers headed outdoors to enjoy the sunshine and even do some sprucing up.
In La Fontaine Park, residents came together to clean up the much-loved park.
It was one of many events across the city to mark Earth Day.
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Plateau-Mont-Royal borough mayor Luc Ferrandez took part in the tidying up of the park and said keeping the city clean is everyone’s responsibility.
“It’s so important for a city to have citizens involved,” he said, but maintains it isn’t enough to just pick up after yourself.
“We also have to take the responsibility for other people’s things,” he said. “We shouldn’t always think: ‘Oh someone else will do it, or it shouldn’t be there.'”
“We have to get the habit to just bend the knee, take the paper on the sidewalk and put in the garbage can.”
Micheline Bouchard agreed with Ferrandez’s message.
“When you find something, we have to do our part, by a little action, just pick it up and recycle it if it’s recyclable,” she said.
Sunday’s clean-up in the park is part of a city-wide initiative to involve citizens in keeping the city tidy through neighbourhood cleaning parties.
READ MORE: Montreal gets ready for spring cleanup
The city provides interested residents with a platform to organize and schedule their cleaning party, and also provides participants with gloves, t-shirts and bags. The city will also come by and pick up the collected garbage, recyclables and other yard waste.
Around 19,000 people took part in last year’s cleaning efforts and Jean-François Parenteau, the executive committee member in charge of citizen services and the environment, said he expects even more this year.
“This year, they will have more than 21,000 people who will make different operations in different boroughs with the hashtag ramasse-toi, or pickup after yourself.”
Parenteau also explained why citizen-involvement was key to the success of any cleanup campaign.
Parenteau said taking part in the various chore days can also help foster community ties.
“It’s a big pleasure for the people,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to get to know your neighbours.”
To organize your own neighbourhood cleanup, Parenteau recommends residents call their borough councillors or consult the city of Montreal website.
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