Vaughan woman tackling litter problem at Golden Forest Pond

Daniela Palma, 27, organizing community cleanup Oct. 29

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 17, 2016
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Daniela Palma loathes litterbugs and she’s working to stop them from ruining an idyllic corner of her Vaughan neighbourhood.

“I just find it so disrespectful of this area, which is so pretty,” said the 27-year-old recent York University graduate, who lives near Peter Rupert Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive.

“When you see litter everywhere, it’s kind of upsetting for me and I know other people feel the same way.”

Palma became aware of the problem in her neighbourhood last fall when she got a dog and started taking her for walks along the tree-lined, multi-use trail running alongside Golden Forest Pond, a stormwater management pond.

“She’d always pick up trash off the ground. She’d be chewing on stuff like bottle caps and dirty tissues,” Palma said. “I’d have to pull it out of her throat, it’s disgusting.”

Palma contacted the city and reported the problem.

The following spring, Palma said, she learned city staff had investigated her complaint and concluded there wasn’t a problem.

The city owns the stormwater pond and the land around it, but it hasn’t been assumed yet so a local developer's group is still responsible for cleaning and maintaining it.

Douglas McGill, property manager for the Block 18 landowners group, said in an interview they’ve hired a contractor who cuts the grass around the pond and cleans up the pond and the land around it as required.

And, he said, they’re called out if the city contacts them about litter that needs cleaning up.

But Palma says the area is still constantly filled with litter.

Frustrated, this spring she took matters into her own hands and spent several hours over two days cleaning up the area.

Among the things she found were an old shopping cart, a barbecue, a suitcase, and hundreds of dog poop bags tossed in the bushes along the embankment that runs down one side of the trail.

“If people just took pride in this area like it was their own back yard, this wouldn’t be a problem,” Palma said.

Palma launched a Facebook page to document her efforts and spread the word about the littering problem.

She also started an online petition and a GoFundMe page to raise money for community cleanups.

Since there were no garbage cans in the area, Palma bought a trash can and placed it between the pathway and the pond.

Her actions caught the attention of Concord/Thornhill North Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco, who contacted her.

A while later, Palma says, the city installed garbage cans at the trailheads. And last week 'no littering' signs were installed.

But Palma plans to continue her efforts to keep the area free of litter.

She’s organizing a community cleanup on Oct. 29, weather permitting, and sharing her story in hopes it will inspire others to tackle littering in their corner of the city.

“It’s a big problem in Vaughan, but people just need to take ownership,” Palma said. “Don’t wait for somebody else to do it; start something on your own.”