Kitimat resident renews call for highway litter cleanup
Kitimat resident Bill Kearley is once again pushing for action on highway litter cleanup, arguing that the province's maintenance contractor, Emil Anderson, is failing to meet its obligations to remove trash and debris along Hwy 37.
Speaking to Kitimat council on March 3, Kearley criticized the state of the highway, comparing it to better-maintained stretches elsewhere in the region. He urged council to invite representatives from Emil Anderson and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to a public meeting so residents can voice concerns about litter and debris buildup.
“Without communication with them, they're not going to do a darn thing,” he told council.
Kearley, who has been vocal about the issue for nearly a year, has taken matters into his own hands. He plans to pay local community groups to clean up litter along the highway, offering minimum wage and providing safety gear and transportation. He intends to submit the cleanup costs to Emil Anderson for reimbursement.
While acknowledging that the contractor cannot subcontract the work directly, Kearley believes Emil Anderson can donate to local groups willing to take on the task. He stressed that taxpayers should not have to bear the burden of litter removal.
Council supported Kearley’s concerns, with Councillor Mario Feldhoff introducing a motion for the district to reach out to both the contractor and the ministry for a public meeting. He also noted the potential benefits of Kearley’s proposal to pay local organizations for the cleanup and the challenge of ensuring he is compensated.
“We’ve got to find a way to move this forward,” Feldhoff said.
Councillor Graham Pitzel noted that Kearley was not the only resident frustrated by the amount of litter along the highway and suggested the provincial contract should be scrutinized to determine whether Emil Anderson is meeting its trash removal obligations.
Kearley first raised his concerns in June, arguing that Emil Anderson was not fulfilling its contractual duties to remove litter and debris. His complaints prompted a temporary cleanup effort by the contractor, but he maintains that conditions deteriorated again soon after.
At the time, the company expressed openness to a formal arrangement supporting community-driven cleanup efforts, according to Skeena operations manager Nola Lawrence, and attributed much of the litter problem to unsecured loads heading to the garbage dump.
Tyler Noble, who succeeded Lawrence as operations manager, said the company is meeting its contractual obligations and disputed Kearley’s assertion that cleanup efforts faded after last year’s discussions. He said litter accumulates faster than scheduled cleanups can address.
"[Litter removal] is just one of the many things we do as part of the contract," Noble said. "We do care. We drive the highways all the time and we live in this area. It's unsightly at times, but the volume of litter is so much that it's difficult to keep up. There are only so many resources. We could spend more time on litter collection, but there's a trade-off," he said, referring to pothole repairs, signage maintenance and sweeping.
With melting snow revealing accumulated trash and debris, he acknowledged the situation appears worse than usual. He said the company has allocated more crews and time to litter collection in recent weeks.
"Some of the guys have been out there at night when it's a little quieter, trying to tackle the worst areas," he said.
He reiterated Lawrence’s view that residents share responsibility for securing their loads en route to the dump and "not treating the highway right of way like it's a dumping ground."
Noble said he would be happy to sit down and discuss the matter with the District of Kitimat and other parties, but so far no one has reached out.
Emil Anderson has provided highway and bridge maintenance services in the Skeena service area since July 2020. The area encompasses Terrace, Kitimat and Gitlaxt’aamiks.
