Winnipeg contending with graffiti, litter as city-wide numbers pour in

Hundreds of calls came in last month as residents in Winnipeg looked to the city and other organizations to control instances of graffiti.

The City of Winnipeg has recorded 964 calls for service regarding graffiti since the start of January to July 19. On the other hand, Downtown Winnipeg Biz reported the removal of 1,300 graffiti tags just last month. The difference in the numbers could, as the city explained, be a result of many cases going unreported. The city also noted that the number of calls they receive can increase in the summer and warmer months, as “more people move outdoors, and fewer outdoor spaces are obscured by snow.”

Tom Ethans, executive director of Take Pride Winnipeg, said he’s personally seen a lot of graffiti this year. It’s more prevalent, he added, in areas where it’s more visible.

“Downtown in particular has been hit quite hard and the Downtown Biz people are working diligently to get off as much graffiti as they can, as quickly as they can,” Ethans said.

He added that the organization provides free services to remove graffiti, however, people should take it upon themselves to get rid of it “as quickly as possible.” He adds the cleaner a neighbourhood is, the safer and better its residents feel.

0:49 Calls to clean up from Take Pride Winnipeg

Ethans says that statement is also true of garbage and littering in the city.

“Our annual litter index was up slightly this year, but it is getting a lot better than it was. There’s still so much out there and cigarette butts are the number one cause,” said Ethans.

He cited that cigarettes amount to 30 per cent of the overall litter.

“When I go to schools and (do) presentations, I say to the students, ‘If everybody in Manitoba walked outside today, took 30 seconds and picked up a piece of litter, that’s 1.4 million pieces of litter off the ground,'” Ethans said. “It doesn’t take much to make a difference.”

According to the Downtown Biz, 155,000 litres of garbage was picked up last month.