Common sense out the window

Is there something different about the air in Sun Peaks that makes some visitors, guests and even residents lose all aspect of common sense while spending their winters in this beautiful resort community? It’s not often that I’m at a loss for words, but this seems to be one of those times or subjects that simply makes me speechless and has me shaking my head in absolute disbelief.

As the snow melts, albeit slowly this season, people’s true colours really begin to shine. Unfortunately, these true colours are coming from the ditches and bushes in our small community in the form of bottles, cans, wrappers, cigarette butts and every other form of human garbage and animal waste that one can imagine. One local even found a complete steering wheel column and ignition system from a Porsche sticking out of a snowbank. That strange find led to some head scratching about how that car left the mountain.

It’s inconceivable to me that people can actually be so disrespectful to a place that brings so much joy and fun-loving recreation to so many. Now we aren’t talking about a few bottles and butts on the ground—we’re talking about tons of garbage and countless piles of dog crap left in every ditch, on every road and trail in the community. Do people actually think that snowbanks are a great place to chuck their garbage and bags of dog crap, if they choose to pick up their dog’s crap at all? The sheer volume of litter that shows up each spring makes Sun Peaks look like a city out of a developing country and it’s not until our annual volunteer based Trash Bash that it once again resembles beautiful British Columbia.

I’m sure this isn’t a unique problem to Sun Peaks but I’ve never seen so much litter thrown around in any place I’ve travelled in B.C. Maybe other communities simply have a different way of dealing with it. What will it take to change people’s ways? Maybe more signage, more garbage cans, more poop bags and a big burly litter/dog poop cop wielding a big stick might make people think twice before simply tossing their Timmy’s cup in the ditch. I thought picking up after your dog meant picking up the crap it takes and taking it home to your garbage can, not picking it up and throwing the poop bag in the bush, ditch or in the trees as if it were a Christmas decoration? Was I brought up differently than everyone else? When I was young my parents taught us that litter was a bad thing and one did not simply discard rubbish where ever you wished.  Litter in any form is just plain wrong. Will people ever learn? Unfortunately, I seriously doubt it.

Come out and be part of the Sun Peaks 14th Annual Trash Bash, June 1, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. followed by a Trash Bash Dinner. Meet at the Burfield Lodge between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. for route assignments.