CITY of Vancouver crews will begin to sweep and clear leaves from streets starting November 8 (Thursday).

Temporary “no parking” signs will be placed in areas where leaves are being cleared. These signs will be posted one day in advance of cleaning activities. Residents are reminded to do their part by moving their vehicle by 7 a.m. on the date cleaning begins to avoid a ticket and tow.

Vehicles that are not moved will be issued a ticket with fines of $100 ($60 discounted penalty if paid within 14 days) and will receive a courtesy tow to a nearby location. Vehicles with a SPARC permit will be returned to the same location once the street leaf cleaning is completed. It is very important that vehicles are moved as it allows efficient clearing of all leaves from the street.

Crews will initially focus on streets with higher volumes of leaves and may need to do one or two passes with the sweeper. To view a map and schedule of street leaf cleaning activities, visit vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/leaf-collection-from-city-streets.aspx

As a reminder for all residents and businesses:

X Do not rake or blow leaves onto the street or into bike lanes. This is a safety hazard and can cause flooding.

X Do not dispose of leaves on boulevards, City property, or parks.

X  Illegal dumping of leaves is a fineable offence under the Street and Traffic By-Law and can result in a fine of up to $10,000.

Extra Leaf Collection Weekends

Residents are encouraged to rake leaves that fall on their property, the sidewalk, catch basin or boulevard and add them to their Green Bin. Extra leaves that do not fit in residents’ Green Bins should be placed in paper yard waste bags or store-bought bins and set out on the following designated extra leaf collection weekends:

• November 17-18 (next weekend)
• December 15-16
• January 12-13, 2019 (Christmas trees also collected)

Leaves may be collected on either Saturday or Sunday (not both days). Note that Green Bins will not be emptied on extra leaf collection weekends. Only paper yard waste bags or store bought bins will be emptied on the extra leaf collection weekends.

To avoid a missed collection, set your leaves out for collection before 7 a.m. on the scheduled Saturday. You can avoid missed collections by downloading the VanCollect app for collection reminders.

Helpful guidelines on the City’s fall leaf program can be found at vancouver.ca/leaves.