Rosemont borough uses flower power to get residents to clean up their act

Four-foot-tall flowers are popping up in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie alleyways.

A bright orange and yellow flowery sign reads, “We cleaned up your mess, doesn’t it look nice?”

Workers placed the sign after clearing and cleaning up piles of trash in an alleyway at the corner of St-Hubert and Beaubien streets on Tuesday.

Borough officials say the sign is part of a new campaign that aims to keep alleys in the borough clean and clear for vehicles.

“We wanted [to] put forward an additional tool to educate citizens about cleanliness and respect for collection schedules.”

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The borough posted this video of the workers in action.

Officials say the new tool will be added to the many actions undertaken by the borough to ensure the alleys remain clean, such as fines and inspectors.

Residents in the area whose homes back onto the alleyway welcome the sign and its message.

Trash can build up in the small roadway for days, and they say it can stink.

“Its great something is finally happening,” David Menes said.

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He said the sign was a welcoming surprise for himself and his neighbours.

“For me it was a change. Now I realize I have to take more care and I hope the shops will also do the same,” Menes said.

Both residents and nearby shop owners that share the alley say they have complained about the garbage to the borough in the past.

The new tool will be in place for a few days, and borough officials say they expect to see the signs sprout up in other alleyways, too.