The City of Sarnia is taking action against a contractor after a pile of dirt was dumped on the Howard Watson Nature Trail, in the area of Wiltshire Dr., Sunday.
Manager of Parks, Forestry and Horticulture Patti Ross says they became aware of the incident when bylaw officers were called to follow up a complaint.
"Somebody is installing a pool and they hired a contractor," says Ross. "This person went in on a Sunday, which is in contravention of a bylaw regarding noise and equipment, so we had a complaint about it."
She says when bylaw officers arrived, they discovered the mound of dirt.
Ross says whether or not the contractor planned to remove the soil is unknown, but they've been instructed to clean everything up and leave the trail the way they found it.
The incident has infuriated Sarnia city councillor Anne Marie Gilli, who lives nearby.
"This contractor has shown a total lack of respect for the trail and the park system that we have in the city and for the people that walk on the trail all the time," says Gillis.
She says the contractor has a limited time to remove the excavation debris, which was still there Tuesday, because that area is to be sprayed as part of phragmites removal later this week.
In the meantime, Gillis says council and staff are working on tightening up permits with greater restrictions to ensure it doesn't happen again.
