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RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Mayor Scott Gillingham is all smiles as he operates a Toolcat outfitted with a broom, with the help of neighbourhood action team member Blair Stewart, during the spring clean-up launch in Old Market Square Wednesday. <\/p>\n
The trial program aims to improve the downtown\u2019s aesthetic for Winnipeggers and tourists alike, Gillingham said.<\/p>\n
Crews will clean graffiti, replace broken, damaged or faded signage, pressure wash parks equipment and clean debris from streets and sidewalks.<\/p>\n
Last year, the city debuted its neighbourhood action teams, which spent four weeks in each ward over the summer and fall to help patch potholes, prune trees and pick up trash.<\/p>\n
Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) said when spaces like the downtown are clean and cared for, it sends a message that residents take pride in the city they live in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is often the first impression people have of Winnipeg \u2026 that is why this work matters. It\u2019s not just about sweeping streets or picking up litter. It\u2019s about making people feel welcomed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Michael Cantor, the city\u2019s manager of street maintenance, could not estimate how much this year\u2019s cleanup will cost. It usually costs the city about $6 million annually.<\/p>\n
The cleanup begins the same week Take Pride Winnipeg released its annual litter index, which identified north central Winnipeg \u2014 which includes the downtown core \u2014 as the grimiest area in the city.<\/p>\n
Gillingham also asked residents do their part to clean up their neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would make a huge difference. It would get us accomplishing our goal of a cleaned-up city faster,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Mayor Scott Gillingham says the program aims to improve the downtown\u2019s aesthetic for Winnipeggers and tourists alike.<\/p>\n A block over from the mayor\u2019s announcement, JP Boulley was doing some spring cleaning in front of the Travellers\u2019 Building at 283 Bannatyne.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Using a leaf blower, he meticulously cleaned around the benches and along the sidewalk adjacent to the building, before its commercial tenant, Peasant Cookery, installs a patio ahead of warmer weather.<\/p>\n Boulley has been the building\u2019s maintenance man for more than 30 years and says garbage in the Exchange District is always an issue. He\u2019d like to see the city do more to keep the area tidy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is where all the garbage ends up anyway,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of stuff that the city cleaners don\u2019t even get to.\u201d<\/p>\n Crews will commence a citywide cleanup Sunday.<\/p>\n nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Nicole Buffie Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College\u2019s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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