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Port seeks solution to junk car problem

Islanders need a place where they can get rid of old junky cars and trucks instead of leaving them in their yards, and the regional landfill could be the ideal spot, Port council members said Monday night (April 7).After a thorough discussion of the derelict vehicle problem, council voted to write to the islands solid waste committee, saying it has a responsibility to provide a place where islanders can dispose of car carcasses.Council members said they were frustrated that even though everyone recognizes it's a problem, there still seems to be no disposal spot. A scrap metal collector visited the islands last year but only removed a fraction of the scrap here.Councillor Wally Cheer, also a member of the solid waste committee, said he has been trying to add this to the committee's agenda for the past year, but has been told by regional district staff that the garbage system is too financially strained to offer any new service unless it can cover its costs."There has to be an option for people with derelict vehicles to get rid of them," Mr. Cheer said. "Right now, there's no way to get rid of them."Port recently distributed a tourism survey to residents with questions about what would make the town more appealing to tourists, and many responses suggested a community clean-up, said mayor Cory Delves.Council members discussed the derelict vehicle problem several months ago without reaching a solution and Mr. Cheer said he has noticed even more junky cars around town since then.Port has a bylaw prohibiting people from keeping derelict vehicles - defined as any vehicles that have been unlicensed for more than one year - on their residential properties, although they can keep them in enclosed shelters like garages. However, the village has not been able to enforce the bylaw because council members say there is nowhere for people to get rid of their old vehicles.