Connecting Lake Simcoe's Community

Winter's leftovers

With more thawing periods than snow - finally - winter's leftovers are beginning to emerge.

There is a large amount of garbage beginning to appear as the huge snowbanks begin to melt. Even Christmas decorations that did not get picked up with the trees.

There is a feast of food leftovers - dropped lunches, partially eaten hamburgers in wrappers and bags, chicken bones from compost boxes that tipped over, their contents spread around but covered by the next layer of fallen snow, and then frozen solid until now.

And there is an extraordinary and disgusting amount of dog poo. Even in town, where the rules call for "stoop and scoop."

Where did the owners of these dogs think this stuff would go?

Perhaps there was a fresh snowfall, and the dog owner thought one little pile wouldn't make any difference.

Perhaps this winter, they thought the temperature was too cold to take off a mitten or glove to do the job.

But as the layers of snow peel back, it's clear that there are lots of places where many, many dog owners thought it wouldn't matter if they left just one poo in the fresh snow - sometimes only a few feet from a garbage can.

Now that this stuff is no longer separated by layers of snow, it is making for a very messy Spring.

Please pick up after your dog!