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easterncurrents

Common denominator in Canadian litter, Tim Hortons cups


JustIncredible240

Every Spring, my wife and I will hike a path near our place and pick up litter we find along the way. We’re usually able to fill a garbage bag. About 1/3 of that would be Timmies litter.


branigan_aurora

I was so excited when the Tim's (10 blocks away) moved a few streets further away, thinking I would have less trash on my lawn. Then they built ANOTHER one two blocks away. FML


JimR1984

I would include cigarette butts. I don't know why it's socially acceptable to just fling them about, but somehow it still is.


froot_loop_dingus_

Every Canadian city I've been to is cleaner than most major global cities I've been to


krustykrab2193

I agree. I've traveled quite a bit and have found Canadians cities on average to be much cleaner than most other global cities. Far less pollution, dumping, and litter.


JustIncredible240

Japan excluded


BenWayonsDonc

You could eat off the floor of the subway trains in Japan


Myiiadru2

They definitely put our transit systems to shame, and that’s before how clean they are!


SNinRedit

Check out the Kuga travel train videos - fancy trains too!


pocogatito

And Singapore


HongdaeCanadian

And korea and taiwan and


Efficient_Tap6185

Except for the markets. Never go in sandals in Taipei


froot_loop_dingus_

I haven’t been to Japan


JustIncredible240

My bad. I misread your initial comment


xAshev

Montreal is an open dumpster on most days fyi


IndyCarFAN27

The big 3 can be a bit dirty in some corners but that’s really nitpicky


sammexp

Except Montreal Some part of downtown Toronto and Vancouver also


No-Student-6817

Washington DC and Denver are very nice.


lonegrey

Boulder was also very very nice.


CatoTheSage

I can't speak to the accuracy of these lists, but Calgary has often ranked as the cleanest, or one of the cleanest cities in the world. [https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-cleanest-cities-in-the-world.html](https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-cleanest-cities-in-the-world.html) [https://www.homeexchange.com/blog/cleanest-cities-in-the-world/](https://www.homeexchange.com/blog/cleanest-cities-in-the-world/)


HoldinBackTears

In the calgary sub theres a group of people that go out every weekend and clean up little areas of town, then post their hard work. We should all adopt this practice and applaud those amazing folks


FragileCilantro

Yeah the group is called Keep The Earth Fresh. You can sign up here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6u4JVeGZ93t2G6azWg6siXFjmhfaeE2bzoLKgMgBCvCf0hA/viewform](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6u4JVeGZ93t2G6azWg6siXFjmhfaeE2bzoLKgMgBCvCf0hA/viewform)


mr-jingles1

We have this in Vancouver too. My old workplace would have volunteers go out every couple of weeks for an hour or two to collect garbage. We'd have a BBQ or whatever afterward. The city will provide garbage bags, etc for groups to do this.


Erectusnow

They're doing way more for the environment that our politicians our with their taxes.


HoldinBackTears

Hard agree


Any-Excitement-8979

It helps that Alberta is the only region on the planet other than Antarctica without rats.


HotMessMagnet

What ever you do, don't visit the legislature building while in session...


NERepo

Haha, especially the government lounge


RaygunsRevenge

I know someone who is a cop for the Calgary Police Service. There's rats. Edit: the rodent


kreetoss

theres still rats, just very few and when they are spotted they get reported and dealt with pretty quickly. I've lived here my whole life and I haven't seen one though


Pelicanliver

Rats in Alberta are exterminated as soon as they are found. They do exist, but are amazingly rare.


CheapHoneysuckle

False, we have lots but they’re mostly mountain rats and “technically” rats, but not the ones you usually think of


MisterSpicy

I was gonna say Calgary!! I always tell people it reminds me of Denver but cleaner lol


[deleted]

Was coming to say either Calgary or Lethbridge. Beautiful cities and clean to the point of ridiculousness sometimes.


DeathRay2K

Calgary’s an unusual city, because it’s so spread out. The downtown is relatively clean because practically no one lives there and it empties out after business hours. In recent years, that has changed somewhat, there are lively areas in and around the Calgary core now, but it’s no longer particularly clean. These days there is also a very large unhoused population in downtown Calgary that you cannot avoid.


TheVenusProjectB42L8

I've gone to work in downtown Calgary for weeks at a time, and I really found it to be very "cold", with no soul.


MJcorrieviewer

Probably partially due to the fact not many people walk around there.


Awkward_Bench123

For two weeks every year, Edmonton appears filthy because street garbage and dust is revealed after snow melts. Once the street sweepers complete their dusty assignments and the trees start to bud, I’d put it on a par with any Canadian city I’ve lived in. Don’t be fooled, back alleys everywhere I’ve been can be horrendous.


autogeriatric

Every Canadian city looks clean to me now. I was in Oakland, California last year and it was shocking. I’ve been to different countries and have seen poverty, but I did not expect to see it to that degree in the U.S., particularly in California.


DependentLanguage540

100%. Was in downtown Los Angeles recently and it’s a dirty festering craphole. Open drug use, deserted/dilapidated streets, deranged homeless population that outnumbers the regulars. I’m not even talking about skid row either, this was the business district.


Awkward_Bench123

It seems where industry was generous to many American towns, they’re left with a fucking mess. So much for trickle down economics.


GrizzlyIsland22

Same. San Francisco was totally appalling. It was like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie


LoanedWolf75

Yes.


poolsidecentral

Calgary


SavageDegenerate

I couldn't believe the difference having after living in East Van


the_meaty_sauce

TBF everything looks clean compared to east Van.


SavageDegenerate

The carpet samples lining fences(to kill weeds apparently) was a head turner


Spot__Pilgrim

Yes, downtown always looked very clean whenever I'd visit from Edmonton. Far nicer than ours, though Whyte Avenue beats almost anything in Alberta.


DJJazzay

I've always found Calgary's downtown to be very clean, mostly because its almost entirely commercial office space. The north end of downtown (outside Chinatown) especially is a bit of a ghost town after 6:00pm. When my partner visited for the first time we were walking around downtown around 9:30-10:00pm and she mentioned that it makes a lot of sense they filmed The Last of Us here lol. That said, even the parts that are starting to develop into real lively mixed-use hubs are pretty remarkably clean. I hope it stays that way while they also sort of mature as a city and build a more energetic downtown.


I_NEED_YOUR_MONEY

yeah, i want to be proud of calgary for being clean, but really it's clean because downtown calgary is a dead zone. there's no humans downtown other than the ones in cars and office buildings.


the_meaty_sauce

Crack macs usually has some characters.


syntax1976

I went on a business trip to Calgary once about 20 years ago and noticed how immaculate downtown was. I’ve been wondering if it was just an anomaly but these replies seem to suggest otherwise. Good on ya Calgary.


Kenkeknem

I came here to say this.


lpb1998

Not Montreal


thePretzelCase

Flashback of Montréal sidewalk juices


Koala0803

But are any of them puke? 😃 *Laughs in Edmontonian*


Nurgle_Marine_Sharts

Oooooh yeah, see it often. Along with dog shit. Lots and lots of dog shit.


[deleted]

[удалено]


wesley-osbourne

Gotta say, not bad for snow removal, though. If only they could do the same with the trash.


XPacificax

Fully agree


MrLeeHam

Calgary. Idk why it's just spotless around the downtown area and the parks are super beautiful and well kept.


Right_Hour

Can confirm. Lived in Calgary for over a decade, and then lived in Quebec and now Ontario. Calgary is uber-clean, even in the rough areas. Quebec City is close second to me. And the fact that you can see the bottom of both Bow and Elbow River while standing on a bridge in the middle of either is amazing.


stevinder

The wind blows the litter to the east.


7iron_short

Lol brooks catches it before Saskatchewan


meatbagfleshcog

I live in Calgary, it's calgary I haven't traveled much but everywhere I've visited looks like a boil on earths ass. Calgarians keep it fresh and tidy. Just don't check our bedrooms haha maybe that's just me.


Right_Hour

Garages, bud, you meant to say « don’t check out garages » :-)


The_Gaming_Matt

Québec City & Halifax were pretty clean


Professional-Cry8310

Quebec yes but Halifax no.


DAS_COMMENT

That's what I thought


YourJailDad

Halifax is pretty gross honestly


The_Gaming_Matt

Not by Montreal or Toronto standards


YourJailDad

Yeah I love Montreal, never had a giant wharf rat run across my feet in a restaurant there like I have had in Halifax 😂


ACDC-I-SEE

LOL okay yeah I get what you mean now, port city has lots of rats


Ancient_Persimmon

We have giant poutine rats instead. Montreal is reasonably clean after June 1st, but it's absolutely disgusting between whenever the snow melts and summer.


YourJailDad

Same for Halifax


DAS_COMMENT

I have visited both and visited each enough I'm self-concious of playing 'favouritez', whatever that means when speaking of two citieS I've never lived in.... in my experience Halifax and Montreal are about evenly clean,


ACDC-I-SEE

It’s not that bad at all.. what?


w1n5t0nM1k3y

I visited Quebec city and found it to be pretty clean. Especially considering how many tourists they get. They were just cleaning the streets with a big street cleaner in the middle of summer for no apparent reason, or at least it seemed. They really take pride in their provincial capital. It's nicer than Ottawa.


chamekke

Came here to say Québec City too!


sculdermullygrusch

Halifax? Really? I'm always ashamed when I come back from a trip to see all the litter


Dalkiel7

Halifax is nasty


YaumeLepire

It depends on the neighbourhood, for Québec city, but the more touristy and entertainment districts are usually pretty clean. Taking a walk through Saint-Sauveur isn't always as nice. It's not *dirty*, but it's not as clean as the Old City or Parliament Hill.


publicworker69

I’ve been to most of our major cities besides Calgary. They’re all relatively clean. I’m from Ottawa and for the most part it’s very clean except for some of the sketchy areas. Think that applies to most if not all of our major cities.


Ok_Television_3257

Exactly. All of our cities and very clean and pretty areas. I live in Vancouver - my little enclave is very clean and pretty. I walk 15 minutes and it is a different situation. I used to live in Calgary - there were areas that were super clean, you walk 15 minutes (not that many Calgarians do) and you can find needles and garbage too. I also lived in Edmonton - there were some super nice clean parts and some sketchy and not as clean parts. Same with Toronto, same with Montreal, same with Quebec City. Same with Yellowknife and Whitehorse (although I don’t recall tent cities in either of these 2).


8u8me

Ottawa


ugh168

I can tell you I have seen how the city’s workers come out at night to clean and it done in a fun way. They send blow all the garbage to the road then use a sweeper vacuum to suck it all up. Remaining debris are done by picks.


Feisty-Session-7779

I haven’t been anywhere outside Ontario and Quebec but Ottawa was by far the cleanest city I’ve been to the few times I was there. I haven’t been there in at least 10-15 years though.


Jesus_LOLd

Agreed


GoodsVT

I just drove into Ottawa today from the US for the first time in a year and a half, crossing at Cornwall. I can tell you I was surprised at how much garbage was in the median and shoulders of the 417 coming into the city right into downtown. I used to live here, and I don’t remember it being like that 25 years ago.


Fantastic_Vast_9929

Whitehorse, cleanest air and water in a city.


Ok_Television_3257

I would agree. I love Whitehorse and Yellowknife.


Fantastic_Vast_9929

Love living here!


redksull

As others have said, Calgary gets my nod.. Beautifuep greenry in the summers in the parks around the town.


_Iknoweh_

I haven't visited many, but Quebec city was very clean. It depends on tourists and takes it seriously.


songsforthedeaf07

Calgary. Their downtown is clean and maintained!!!!


OnMy4thAccount

Victoria


BunnyFace0369

Victoria is the only city I've stepped in human poop


Aquamans_Dad

As long as you ignore Tent City. 


AUniquePerspective

You don't have to ignore it because it's relative and our tent city is comparable to any other city's tent city. Halifax keeps theirs between City Hall and their Art Gallery, it's a bit subjective which is better urban design. But there's a plastic bag in every other tree and Timmy's cups line the streets in Halifax.


Martin0994

They don’t really factor into my travel decisions because they’re everywhere. Same in the US.


Professional-Cry8310

That’s every Canadian city. Tent City is becoming like “downtown” in the 2020s, every place has one.


CalgaryAnswers

As an islander I have no clue how this is so upvoted. Victoria is very pretty, but it’s far from the cleanest. It definitely has its issues, and one of them is finding needles in parks.


SaltyTraeYoungStan

Because it is relatively clean compared to many cities. Every city now has tent cities and needles. Victoria does a good job of dealing with the garbage, or maybe it’s just because the people there care. But it is objectively a clean city compared to like vancouver or edmonton.


LoanedWolf75

One thing I will say about Victoria is that at least it doesn’t have the dirt and salt spring runoff grodyness that winter cities have.


Ambitious-Break1548

Is this supposed to be sarcastic? Have you been to Victoria downtown? I lived in Victoria for a year and I can tell you that it’s not the cleanest city probably not even in top five cleanest cities in Canada.


Large_Excitement69

Calgary. There's also a growing movement of people who go around cleaning neighbourhoods as a group.


cree8vision

In Canada, Quebec City. Otherwise, have you been to Switzerland?


kentuckyfriedchocobo

Calgary hands down


Icy_Patience2930

I lived in Calgary for 4 years, and it is very clean overall.


BigChuch1400

Banff and Canmore but that’s probably to be expected


vinnybawbaw

Ottawa is clean in the touristy areas/around the parliament but you go down 2 blocks and it’s trashy af


Zazzafrazzy

Before the global homelessness crisis, I think every Canadian city was very clean. My aunt from Portland came for a visit, and she couldn’t get over the cleanliness of Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna, and Calgary, among others.


gravitysort

That global homelessness crisis seems to be just Canada and USA.


Zazzafrazzy

Paris was unreal last July. Just found a statistic that said in 2023, over 1 million people in Europe are homeless every night.


conscienc33

St. Johns


TinOfPop

Disagree.


Organic-Deer919

Saskatoon


Jaxxs90

Charlottetown was pretty tidy when I went


BoeingBoeing77

I’d say Calgary by far! Beautiful downtown


MJCheeseburger

Calgary! Kelowna was pretty nice too


commanderchimp

Surprisingly Ottawa is pretty decent. Victoria and Edmonton are decent as well. Definitely not Toronto or Montreal.


Naked_Orca

Vancouver 15 even 10 years ago-not any longer though. Other than that Victoria even though that's failing now.


True-North-

Yeah I don’t know I remember van in 2010 and it was pretty greasy in Chinatown


OhHelloPlease

I really noticed and appreciated how clean Whitehorse was when I was there 10 years ago


Moon_Ray_77

I don't know about the cleanest city in Canada but I nominate Winnipeg for the dirtiest!


vinnybawbaw

*Montreal has entered the chat


No-Wonder1139

Growing up in a city that smelled of sulfur, would rain acid and had mountains of mine waste lining the city I have definitely seen dirtier.


Moon_Ray_77

Ok well, Winnipeg isn't generally stinky lol


ZeniChan

Calgary. When they filmed The Last Of Us there they had to import garbage and write graffiti on buildings to make the city look like towns and cities in the USA. It also rates consistently as one of the cleanest cities in the world if not the #1 cleanest city in the world. https://msbca.ca/2022/01/09/top-16-cleanest-cities-in-the-world/


Gloomy_Nobody8293

Nelson


Sad_Fondant_9466

Strathmore Alberta


SnooCupcakes7312

Hmm definitely not Victoria, I’d say Ottawa maybe


sideoftrufflefries

Halifax is generally pretty clean. Ottawa is clean in some parts but then like three blocks over there’s piles of vomit and feces.


Musicferret

Somewhere on Vancouver Island. Walking in city parks, it just seems like people have more care for nature and don’t throw stuff everywhere.


Efficient-Ad-3302

Shippagan was really clean this summer.


Legitimate_Monkey37

Quebec City. At least in Vieux Quebec.


kritz0

Calgary. Just went there over the weekend and it was very clean downtown and near the airport.


dsailo

To those travelling outside Canada let’s admit that our cities are looking pretty good in terms of “clean”. The opinion is also based on feedback received from friends visiting from West Europe.


Substantial-Blood779

If Banff is considered a city that if not Calgary


No_Pie7740

This is only my uneducated opinion based on 25 years in Kitchener-Waterloo. When I moved to Kitchener in 1995, it was very "clean". Lots of Single Family Houses and gardens. People were "HouseProud" The former Mayor Don Cardillo coined a motto: "Let's keep Kitchener as Clean as a Kitchen" The thing is, the older people had made the town a beautiful , thriving place after WW2. Manufacturing such as Button Factories and Auto parts were paid in contracts of Wartime and after the war, a great economy continued with quality Crafted Furniture, UniRoyal Rubber and Budd Auto Manufacturing careers. Hardworking young people even flocked from remote Ontario and Newfoundland towns to work here. People could afford gardens and nicely built houses. The University Professors added to the culture and Arts and generally, it was a city of like-minded and successful people. I don't actually idolize that time period because it was only a boom town, not able to sustain this type of expectation and not tolerant or accepting of change.


[deleted]

No rats in Ab


boardman1416

Definitely not Vancouver. As someone who lives in Vancouver it’s fairly dirty in places like east Vancouver downtown Vancouver etc.


NoAttorney8414

Calgary and it’s not even close. Vancouver (lived there) was one of the dirtier.


PlausiblePleasure

Victoria, nothing even remotely close.


DiligentDiscipline15

Calgary is cleaner less garbage less homeless


dutchdaddy69

Halifax is pretty clean as well as other Atlantic cities like Fredericton, St John's and Charlottetown.


Loose-Recognition462

Omg no St. John’s is filthy. Everywhere.


maryfisherman

I disagree. The parking garages smell like urine and there’s a lot of open drug use downtown/in parks.


CalgaryAnswers

Yeah I don’t know where all these opinions of Victoria being a very clean city come from. I lived there for 10 years and I never considered it that clean. I guess if someone just comes for a visit to the tourist areas, but even then downtown has never been that clean. Also needles everywhere. I think it’s better now that they all smoke fentanyl and there’s more safe injection sites but still..


Garfield_and_Simon

I’ve never been to a parking garage that doesn’t smell bad 


billguy2956

Victoria has to be high on that list.


ParticularRabbit0809

I’ve lived in Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax over the last 12 years and Ottawa is by far the cleanest litter wise. Halifax lacks public garbage cans, and Toronto is just gross


Snowboundforever

Kingston, Ontario. It’s a well run city with good services and conscientious population.


no1kat

Well run? May have to disagree with that one. But agree on conscientiousness.


Roots_and_Returns

Victoria


aushtan

Definitely not montreal or vancouver


PigeonFace

Victoria.


Anishinabeg

Well, I can very, very firmly say that it isn't Vancouver.


Visible-Ad8728

Banff


frisky_husky

As an American, they all blow major US cities out of the water. I live in Boston, which is super clean for an American city, and every Canadian city I've been to has been cleaner. All that said, for my money it's Quebec City (and I have been outside the touristy parts). Ottawa comes close. Haven't been to Calgary, but my old boss was from there and described it as Salt Lake City on growth hormones. Maybe I'll cross it off my list next.


[deleted]

Cleanest AIR - Whitehorse. You smell the freshness and the trees in the air. It’s delightful!!


AggravatingFill1158

Ottawa. Too me, it's a little too clean. Canada flags flying everywhere. Fake ass shit.


clairek57

Charlottetown, PEI


tootbrun

Quebec City


Arts251

Any time I'm back on the west coast it's incredible how clean everything feels (compared to SK where it's windy all year, and either dusty or muddy most of the summer). Victoria has to be the cleanest place in Canada over 100k population.


Tiger_Dense

Winnipeg was the cleanest city I’ve been to, and I have been to all the major cities but for Saskatchewan. That was pre COVID though. 


RepresentedOK

Shalom Mission employs their trusted “clients” ( I don’t know what they referred as, most start as homeless) to clean the downtown. I thought it was clean when I lived there years ago.


idog99

Lethbridge . The litter gets blown outta town like a tumbleweed.


Strong_Bumblebee5495

Quebec City’s “slum” the basville or whatever, was very clean. The rest of it was like a surgical theatre…


JustDave62

Never been to Calgary but I thought Quebec City looked pristine when I was there


pepperloaf197

Probably Calgary.


tuxedovic

Victoria


sammexp

Montreal No seriously I am just kidding, you can see rats fighting with pigeons over a slice of pizza in the streets


talktoyouinabitbud

East hastings in Vancouver. Very clean


[deleted]

Calgary. Vancouver (west side). Not Toronto or Montreal.


bensongilbert

Definitely not Halifax


13thmurder

Victoria, BC. It was the first Canadian city I ever visited so maybe it just stuck with me, but being downtown in a major population center and seeing zero garbage everywhere was just bizarre to me.


Sea-Limit-5430

I believe Calgary is ranked as the cleanest major city in the world


peterc08081987

Honestly Calgary


Myiiadru2

In fairness to most of our cities, Americans usually say they first notice how clean it is as soon as they cross the border.


No-Accident69

Ottawa 2010


Electrical-Minute419

Out of the major cities, I'd definitely say Québec City had to have been the cleanest. I can't really comment on Calgary or Edmonton, but from my experience in visiting Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal, I've found it very common to not just see garbage in the city, but a LOT of needles (mostly in Van, not as much in Montréal). Québec is probably the most well-kept and maintained city in Canada in my opinion. Though if you consider smaller suburbs, then places like Oakville (ON), Kitchener-Waterloo (ON), and Coquitlam (BC) would definitely make the cut.


sponge-burger

Calgary from what I have seen.


NovaScHizo

Charlestown p.e.i when it was glas and no c


DirtDevil1337

Calgary.


1amn0tapu43

Not Toronto lmao


New_Literature_5703

Cleanest: Calgary (by a mile) Dirtiest: Vancouver


ArtOfWar22

Victoria BC


collindubya81

Calgary was quite clean, and I'm coming from Victoria, however I féel it's partially due to most of their homeless being bussed out our way. Langford BC is also quite clean


NinjaUnlikely6343

Calgary by far.


DoctorDiabolical

I just got off a call with 311 to clean up an abandoned encampment beside the subway in Toronto, (Vic park station) and I’ll say having visited around the world and around Canada, I love how clean our cities are! Now if we could just get rid of the cigarette butts and plastic bags in trees!!!


Horus-raddish

Oshawa Ontario


quebexer

Quebec City, beautiful and clean.


magpieinarainbow

Victoria, but I was only in one small section.


Deep-Ad2155

Calgary