The July 2nd dump is no longer the same!

In Montreal, journalist Louis-Philippe Messier travels a lot, his desk in his backpack, looking for fascinating things and people. He talks to everyone and is interested in all aspects of this town's history.

Furniture and moving debris left on sidewalks is less than in 1 subsequent years^er I noticed this while walking the streets of the city on a Tuesday, July.

In times of housing shortages and exorbitant rents, not only are there fewer moves, fewer things are left behind, but orphaned furniture is rarer than ever.

“Valuable or useful furniture quickly finds buyers, thanks to the very popular Facebook groups,” exults David Lauzon, foreman of the Ville-Marie district. I meet him as I tour the streets the day after the big annual moving day to see if there is any litter in abundance.

At 5:15 a.m., Mr. Lauzon begins his day. It identifies places where the previous day's movements have left bulky items. From 6 am onwards, blue-collar workers move from one point to another.

When I pass blue-collar workers Martin Maltais-Trottier and Gérald Coriolan in their F150 at the corner of Rouen and Le Havre in the Center-Sud district at 11:15 a.m., they've already completed the “moving” part of their shift.

(I found out that they were trying to eliminate illegal dumps of household waste.)

“Yesterday we got a lot of big pieces, mattresses, bed bases, cabinets, all kinds of things… and it will continue for a few days because not everyone is moving in 1.^er», Mr. Coriolan said.

“The furniture we collect goes to the dump: it's often dirty, caught in the rain or covered in graffiti,” M laments.^me Maltese-Trottier.

A disgusting pile

At the corner of Iberville and Rachel, at the foot of an apparently inadequate apartment building, garbage cans cover a cordillera of unsightly waste mixed with abandoned furniture and personal effects (including a guitar case). This is the worst I have found on my trip.

“It's sad, I'm calling 311 and I'm complaining right there!” Smokes the disgusted neighbors.

Along with Rachel, a woman struggles to help her daughter move in as the sidewalk is littered with belongings from the previous tenants.

A woman moves her daughter and walks around a wall of items left behind by previous tenants.

Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier

She takes the opportunity to ask me if I can take their air conditioning unit; I agree for my convenience.

A woman I was interviewing asked me to transport her air conditioning unit while her daughter was moving.

Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier

Not a mantra

In the 27 years I've lived in Montreal, I can't remember a July 2nd being so crowded.

“It doesn't happen by magic. In Ville-Marie, since last Saturday, we had two teams, about 30 people, who were able to collect everything as they went,” recalls Philippe Sabourin, a spokesman for the city.

Unfortunately, Mr. Sabourin tearfully opens a few bags in front of me to show me that moving Montrealers toss it all away and mix it all up…go to the dump.

City spokesman Philippe Sabourin said Montrealers who move and throw away their belongings often do so without sorting.

Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier

If you see garbage piled up on a sidewalk or street or alley in Montreal, write to our journalist [email protected].