Vaughan
October 04, 2008 12:14 AM
Kim Champion
Concord warehouse manager Mohammed Khan thinks the saying one man’s trash is another man’s treasure is a pile of rubbish.
That’s because when Mr. Khan arrived at his workplace one morning this week, he was stunned to find about 80 old tires dumped on the property.
“It’s a midnight move,” Mr. Khan said of the culprits, who have hit the Rayette Road auto parts importer/exporter under the cover of darkness three times since last year.
This time around, however, getting rid of the illegal dump will cost Lightning Rotors Inc. about $775.
That includes a tipping fee of $4 per tire, labour and the fuel to get to the nearest waste transfer station in Georgina, a 120-kilometre round trip estimated to take about two hours, according to Google map directions.
“It’s so frustrating. I’ve called the mayor’s office, the councillor for this area, the police,” said Mr. Khan. “More or less, they’ve all told me there’s nothing they can do.”
Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco said illegal dumping in Vaughan is not tolerated, but it is the company’s responsibility to “stake out” the property to find out who is doing the dumping.
“While I appreciate the fact this gentleman is claiming that he did not do the dumping, because there is absolutely no proof to support his claim, it is impossible for my staff to hold back and not issue a ticket to him,” she said.
York Regional Police Const. Marina Orlovski sympathizes with the company’s plight, but said it would be pretty tough to catch whoever is responsible without some information about the suspects or the vehicle they were driving.
“We could increase our patrols in that area, but it’s more a case of what the owner can do working with us,” she said.
Const. Orlovski said officers from the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design program works with businesses and residents to make changes to their property that will help deter crime.
For example, installing surveillance cameras on the property could capture a license plate number or description of the suspect that police could then investigate.
Mr. Khan is shopping around for prices on a video surveillance system, but feels the whole situation is unfair.
“I called the city to warn them that someone is dumping here and they said it’s my responsibility. I feel that nobody cares,” he said. “If they are going to give me a ticket, they’re going to have a fight on their hands.”
For more information on how to protect your home or business, call York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423.
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