It’s something you might expect around moving day, but for a group of residents living in Greenfield Park, piles of garbage have become the norm. “The trash accumulates at a rapid rate,” said resident Gita Kiss. “Every time we walk by, there’s something new. Not just in the garbage cans.” Many of the homes in that sector of Greenfield Park are part of a complex called Terrasses Riopel & Campbell, owned by a numbered company. If you walk around, you’ll see a lot of garbage piled up in the alleyways behind the homes. There’s furniture like a couch and TV and large household items. Residents say it’s become unsightly. “It’s now a health and safety issue,” Kiss said. “There are animals starting to live in some of them, making rats nests and other things, bugs. Who knows what else is in them.” She admits tenants have a responsibility to not dump their trash, but she says the landlord does little to help, not even informing tenants of the rules. “On my way walking here, I saw a couch over here, and on the other side there was a mattress; it’s just all over the place,” said Lois Jenkins, who also lives in the complex. CTV News reached out to the owner of the complex several times, but did not receive a response. During a visit to their office, no one answered. In a lengthy statement to CTV News, the City of Longueuil said it conducted an inspection of the area on Aug. 17, and a ticket will be given to the owner. Longueuil says it has intervened several times in recent years, and the owner restored the property to good condition each time. “This matter is a priority for the Inspections Department until the situation is resolved. The City also plans to contact the property owner shortly to identify a long-term solution and prevent these situations from recurring,” the city said in a statement. “Your neighbourhood is an extension of your home, and it’s really sad that it’s come to this,” said Kim, whose parents live in the complex. Residents say garbage is just one issue in a long list of maintenance problems. “I’ve been living here for more than 27 years, and in the last five years it’s the worst it’s ever been,” said Emilie Sarrasin, a resident of the complex. Unsure of what their next step is, residents hope that by speaking out, their landlord will clean up their complex. “Seeing our home and our family and our community crumble. It is absolutely heartbreaking for all of us, and we want it fixed,” Kiss said.
