Kelowna bylaw officers intervened after garbage began piling up in city laneway

Photo: Wayne Moore

Tenants of a home on Martin Street in Kelowna got off with a warning after allowing open garbage to pile up on a lane behind their property.

Castanet was alerted to the problem by a neighbour who said the garbage had been piling up for a number of weeks, causing a health hazard.

Paul Markowski said the garbage was attracting rats to the area, and bothered his young daughter when they would go outside.

He says garbage collection wouldn't touch the open garbage during their weekly collection runs.

Markowski said he contacted bylaws on a few occasions, but turned to Castanet when the problem wasn't resolved.

City bylaw manager Ken Hunter told Castanet News Thursday afternoon the tenants are in the process of cleaning up the mess.

"This is certainly an offence against the good neighbour bylaw, and something that shouldn't be tolerated," said Hunter.

"By the picture you sent me, it's a gross offence, and something that shouldn't be going on in our city anywhere.

"There are all kinds of offences...you're aware council just put in an attractant to wildlife bylaw."