Volunteers needed for spring clean-up of tornado-affected neighbourhood

The snow has melted and with that comes some tried and true signs of spring — including piles of soggy garbage.

That’s why a group of volunteers, led by Coun. Natalie Harris and Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin, will be busting out the gloves and garbage bags on Friday, April 15 to clean up the south-end neighbourhood that was hit by a tornado last summer.

Dubbed the 'Tornado Area Spring Clean Up,' volunteers will meet at Saint Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School (130 Prince William Way) at 5 p.m. and will spend a few hours combing through the area, cleaning up any debris and garbage they find.

“It’s basically an extension of the Spring Into Clean event that the city is organizing,” Harris told BarrieToday, adding residents in the affected area had reached out to both her and Khanjin after noticing debris. “We (have) to make sure we are collecting the right things, because we can only put actual garbage into these special bags. The city takes those bags and weighs them (to) determine how much is collected from the Spring Into Clean event.”

Harris noted volunteers, unfortunately, won’t be able to deal with any left over “big pieces of debris” that may be found.

“It’s not really that bad with large pieces anymore. It’s more that the snow has melted and stuff has revealed itself; the wind has maybe blown some other (debris) around, so we are going out to help with that," she added. 

Khanjin told BarrieToday she decided to roll up her sleeves to help after her constituency office received a call from a resident who had noticed a lot of litter around the neighbourhood, 

“As much as we cleaned it up back then, a lot of great construction has happened and some people’s homes have been renovated…  but with that comes the maintenance of spring cleaning,” the MPP said. “(The resident) mentioned how the neighbourhood did need a bit of a clean-up and that the kids around the neighbourhood have turned it into a game of who can pick up the most amount of nails… which, in my opinion, is very scary and I think we should do something about it.

"We all have a hand or two we can lend and put garbage where it belongs — in the trash," Khanjin added. 

Like any big project, many hands make light work, and Harris said “the more the merrier,” adding anyone interested in lending a hand on Friday can email her to register. Friday will also offer another opportunity for those affected by the tornado to come together and enjoy a sense of community and support, she added. 

“Here we are in spring and the weather is changing again. We did have one day where the skies turned grey and people were posting on the peer support page…  (so) it really is evident that that trauma is still there and it doesn’t go away,” the city councillor said. “We still have some items of debris and that is a reminder of what happened.

"We are really trying to move forward as a community and rebuild," Harris added. "It’s just a great way to talk and, of course, to clean up that area a little bit more.”