Charities to lobby Quebec municipalities for fairer collection box rules

A coalition of non-profit charity organizations will lobby municipal authorities at a convention in Montreal today for more leeway to collect clothes in donation boxes on their territories.

 "Unfortunately, I think that local citizens are complaining that there are too many bins, so [the cities'] first reaction is to remove them or have them removed," Le Support's general manager Philippe Siebes told CBC Montreal Investigates.

His organization raises funds for Quebecers with intellectual disabilities, primarily by selling the used clothing it collects in metal bins.

However, Siebes said municipal authorities have drastically limited Le Support's capacity to raise funds by imposing bans and restrictions on the bins in the last three years, in an effort to cut down on private companies that use the same types of collection methods only to sell the clothes at a profit.

"The issue right now is [cities] are asking everyone to remove them, good or bad," Siebes explained.

He said Le Support gave away $1.6 million in 2012. Last year, it could only afford giving out a little over $400,000.

Dozens of collection bins line the back lot of Le Support's warehouse. Siebes said his organization had to remove them due to the growing list of bans.

He said he has counted 59 municipalities with rules limiting the spread of donations boxes in the Montreal area. 

Bans suit some just fine

One local borough that has cracked down on donation boxes is Pierrefonds-Roxboro on Montreal's West Island.

Flavio Nahas owns a strip mall on the territory. For more than six months, a private organization had a collection box in his parking lot, without ever asking permission to set up, he said.

"It's always messy around those bins because people just leave whatever, even garbage. So it's not about donations and usually those companies, they're not reliable," Nahas said.

After multiple complaints to Pierrefonds—​Roxboro, he returned from holidays last week and found out the bin had been removed.

Nahas said he would not be opposed to an eventual bylaw that carefully vetted the background of companies seeking to install collection bins.

"If [the companies] act with integrity asking to put in those bins, I think it's a good thing to do. But if it's just phony companies putting beams all around and using the gray area as they say, that's not a good thing," he said.

Pierrefonds working on solution 

Pierrefonds—Roxboro borough mayor Dimitrios Jim Beis said the ban on boxes currently extends to public property in his borough, and called it a temporary measure until council figures out a bylaw that would govern who would be allowed to set up the boxes.

"We want to work with the companies that have these boxes, that have viable services provided to the needy community groups, and so we're aware of that," Beis said.

He added Pierrefonds residents have been regularly complaining to borough officials about the spread of the donation bins.

Beis expects council to come up with a bylaw by the end of the year.

Fix not that difficult: Le Support

Le Support's Philippe Siebes has some ideas on what he'd like to see in municipal rules.

One key point, he said, would be to remove bins on all public property.

Unfortunately, I think that local citizens are complaining that there are too many bins, so [the cities'] first reaction is to remove them or have them removed.- Philippe Siebes, general manager, Le Support 

Next, municipal officials should force organizations that want to install bins on private property to seek permits.

He also said only organizations that have registered charity status with the federal government should get permits.

Siebes and representatives of two other charity organizations will be making their case to officials at a meeting of the Union des Municipalités du Québec today. 

CBC Montreal Investigates

Do you have a story you think CBC Montreal's investigative team should look into?

Leave a message on our confidential tipline, send us an email or contact us on Twitter.

Tipline: 514-597-5155

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @CBCMontreal