In the Weekly Police Report from the Weyburn Police Service, a reminder was issued for the Property Maintenance and Nuisance Abatement Bylaw, which covers residents ensuring their yards comply with being kept clean and clear of garbage, junked vehicles, and dismantled machinery, excessive/dead weeds, grass or trees, as well as sharp or dangerous materials.
Read the bylaw HERE.
Deputy Chief Shane St. John said the bylaw is worth a look for property owners to see what is okay and what is not okay.
"Just have a neat, respectful yard. Don't let the weeds get out of control because that affects everybody in the neighborhood, right? Don't let your grass get up to over a certain length and you're responsible for your property."
"If you're renting a home or you're a homeowner, you need to take care of your property. That's the main point. You want your city to look beautiful. You want your property to look nice."
If a fine for non-compliance following a warning is not enough motivation to get a yard cleaned up, perhaps the return of the Golden Garbage Can competition after 15 years would help nudge homeowners to deal with unsightly messes in their yards.
Police regularly receive complaints about another yard, oftentimes from the neighbours.
However, unsightly is just part of it. When someone has sharp or dangerous materials in their yard, even if it's fenced-in, it poses a risk for a variety of service workers.
"It could be us coming through the yard, it could be fire coming through the yard, it could be gas meter [reader], power [meter reader], you never know. So it's just better off to have a safe property," he explained
St. John defined a 'junked vehicle'.
"We might have to look at it to see if it even fits that definition according to the bylaw. It's sort of clear what a junk vehicle is: it's one that can't be driven. You don't want something leaking oil and then that's leaking down on the street either. There are a lot of different things you've got to be wary of with a vehicle on your property."
He added, "People sometimes forget they've moved in from the farm and have some scrap yards on their property, so there's a bylaw there for a reason."