An investigation is underway to find the person or persons responsible for illegally dumping roofing materials near Millennium Park.
According to Powell River RCMP constable Kerri Chard, the dumpsite was reported to the police on Wednesday, November 2. RCMP forwarded the complaint on to the BC Conservation Officer Service, the law-enforcement agency that specializes in environmental investigations, said Chard.
BC Conservation officer Andrew Anaka said his office is currently looking into the illegal dumping complaint.
“We’re investigating under the Environmental Management Act,” said Anaka, “specifically, discharging waste into the environment.”
The location of the discarded roofing material is off the BC Hydro right-of-way that runs next to Millennium Park. Anaka said that, unfortunately, the illegal dump is not out of the ordinary.
“We get complaints on a regular basis,” he said. “Every year we get one or two about shingles being dumped out in the bush; quite often we are successful in finding the violators and prosecuting them.”
Despite the one or two complaints each year of illegally dumped roofing materials, the community has stepped up efforts in general to address the problem of illegally dumped trash and recyclables.
Powell River Regional District’s annual Trash Bash, held last April, brought in more than 30 tonnes of discarded waste from Powell River lakes, trails and backcountry recreation areas.
The regional district advocates the use of the smartphone app TrashOut, which allows for documenting the location and contents of dumpsites.
Chard said that police take the issue of dumping seriously and encourage the public to report incidents to the Report All Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1.877.952.7277.
