Author: Quinn Patrick
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is cracking down on the growing problem of people illegally dumping waste, with $10,000 fines and potentially up to two years in jail for those caught committing the act.
“We take it quite seriously, and we’re consulting on that now. Anyone who wants to give us feedback should let us know,” Smith told reporters on Wednesday. “Right now, we’re taking active consultation and feedback on how you think we should address that to the general public, but we need to do something in the fall.”
Smith went on to say that she was affected by a ‘do not litter’ campaign when she was younger, and the province would consider relaunching something similar to get the message across.
A number of municipalities have recorded a surge in illegal dumping incidents over the last several years. The problem has become so widespread that activists and concerned citizens have recorded several incidents and have been driven to confront the perpetrators.
In Brampton, reports of illegal dumping incidents have more than doubled in four years, rising by 163 per cent from the 2,117 reported in 2020 to 5,568 incidents reported in 2024.
In Surrey, British Columbia, the city reported that staff cleaned up illegal dumping from 7,459 sites in 2020.
Many illicit dumpers will drive out to the countryside to get rid of their refuse in the hopes of not being seen.