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Police investigating case of illegal dumping at Orangeville Legion

January 22, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

The Orangeville Legion is the latest victim of illegal dumping in the region.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 233 released video footage from the evening of Jan. 6 showing an unidentified man dumping an unwanted mattress in the waste bin of its parking lot at 7 John St.

“This is not what good citizens do in this town,” said the Orangeville Legion in a Facebook post on Jan. 8.

The waste bin is on-site to deal with kitchen waste and other garbage the Legion produces.

Despite catching the act on camera, the license plate was too blurry to read, and the Ontario Provincial Police’s investigation into the matter was unsuccessful in identifying the plate.

“We did have an officer attend that address [7 John St.]; however, due to the fact a licence plate was not provided or obtained from the video, it would be hard to ID the suspect in this matter. The officer did check local gas stations and so on trying to obtain further video with negative results,” said Const. Andrew Fines of the Dufferin OPP Detachment.

To address illegal dumping, the OPP monitors roadways at night and pays attention to areas that may be used for illegal dumping.

“We continue to conduct proactive BEAT/cruiser patrol around the County both at night and during the day. I would recommend anyone who is concerned to follow some basic tips on how to prevent such things from happening,” said Fines. 

Tips to prevent illegal waste dumping on your property include:

• Survey your property and look for areas that are easily accessible by the road or hidden from neighbours, and consider ways of restricting these areas from public access
• Plant trees or shrubs for use as a fence line
• Install cameras on the property
• Place fencing and signs around the property
• Install additional lighting around the site 

The Orangeville Legion and OPP are seeking any relevant information that could help in the illegal dumping investigation.

If charged, the person who dumped the mattress would be charged with:

• Trespass to Property Act Section 2(1)(a)(ii) – $65 fine – Engage in prohibited activity on premises.
• Environmental Protection Act Section 86 – $125 fine – Abandoning material that is likely to become litter.
• Criminal Code Section 177 Trespassing at night.

Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous at 1-800-822-8477 (TIPS) or www.crimestopperssdm.com.

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