Some city councillors hope to catch illegal dumpers on camera as a way to curb the practice.

The city’s protection committee will soon vote on whether or not to study a pilot project with closed circuit television cameras to catch scofflaws in the act.

“Everyone deserves to live in a clean, vibrant neighbourhood,” said Coun. Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan), who raised the motion at Wednesday’s city council meeting. “If surveillance helps to achieve that goal, it’s a good thing.”

Sharma noted it’s been tough to fine dumpers without visual evidence of their offences. In 2013, the city raised dumping fines to combat the problem, with fines of $2,000 for large-scale dumping by individuals and $4,000 for large-scale corporate scofflaws.

“This surveillance will give some evidence that’s needed (to enforce that),” said Sharma.

Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) said dumping remains a problem across the city and is a weekly event in key trash hotspots.

“As soon as they get the message there’s a big fine and they will get caught, we think that they will stop,” said Eadie. “People can’t monitor it 24 hours a day, seven days a week and cameras can.”

Eadie said residents and businesses regularly travel to other areas from the ones they live or work in to dump their rubbish. And while there’s no cost estimate for the technology just yet, the councillor expects the fines collected would help pay for it.

The motion requests council approve a two-year pilot project using CCTV cameras to identify vehicles and suspects, with a report to follow on how this worked.

joyanne.pursaga@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @pursagawpgsun