It's the worst season in Montreal: “Is it normal that I think it's normal?”

In Montreal, journalist Louis-Philippe Messier travels mostly on the run, 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.

Human waste, the ubiquitous cups of Tim Hortons, torn bags: some streets in downtown Montreal have a spring-like appearance that isn't pleasant at all.

No more pretending to be a snow screen. The winter dirt is on display.

Not far from the self-cleaning public toilet, someone relieved themselves on the sidewalk against the wall of the Berry-UQAM building next to the mailbox.

Why not use the public toilet? A light by the door says: “Under Maintenance”…

One relieves himself by leaning against the wall of the Berri-UQAM station entrance, not far from an out-of-service public toilet.

Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier

Like other Montrealers, accustomed to high levels of filth, am I desensitized?

I can't be moved by what disgusts a visitor… Even when I see human excrement near a metro station, I say to myself: “Oh… but meh”.

Every spring is like this: it's garbage season. Am I supposed to think this is normal?

Mountains of bags

Monday after an all-nighter on Saint-Denis Street, the waste from the night's events was collected in dozens of stacked bags… Bravo for this first step! But will someone soon come and collect the bags that are forming mountains by the side of the streets?

Already, on Monday morning, a kind of Jack the Ripper of garbage bags raged in front of the restaurant Le Moliere, stabbing the bags from Nuit Blanche and one of his “victims” oozing black juice.

A jack the ripper of garbage, opened the bags in front of the restaurant Le Moliere.

Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier

On Monday, in Saint-Denis, between Saint-Catherine and de Maisonneuve, we swept the broom. But between de Maisonneuve and Emery (Rue du Cinéma Latin Quarter), we didn't sweep the broom. Then, from Emery to Ontario, it became healthy again.

Some sections of Saint-Denis have been swept and cleaned, but others are less…

Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier

In Sainte-Catherine, in the neighborhoods of MTelus and Foufounes, this is a real open-air trash bin.

In Sainte-Catherine, near MTelus and Foufounes, sidewalks are littered with trash and trash bags are all open.

Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier

On the northern Saint-Denis express bike network, it is (relatively) clean. But going south, it was littered with garbage.

In the muddy and depressing Saint-Louis square, the waste seemed to have accumulated in great measure. But in the tiny Jehane-Benoit Park across from the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, it's a dump.

In some parks, spring cleaning has already begun, as the blue-collar workers who tend the rinks are released earlier than usual.

“As the snow melts quickly, employees are assigned to cleaning up branches and debris in parks,” Nadine Bergeron, manager of blue-collar workers in Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe, explained to me last week. -aux- trembles.

Have other districts followed suit?

“It would be great if the city put more people into cleaning the streets, but I don't see any difference: it's a disaster!” laments James Guilbaud, known for his “ploga” type running outs in Montreal. “, where he picks up trash as he walks.

Mr. Guilbaud is also organizing a large waste collection race on April 21 for Earth Day with his group Plogga Mtl.

One thing's for sure: until the buds come out, there's a lot of cleaning going on in town.