This pile of abandoned carts at the city landfill shows how big a problem stray carts can be. (File Photo/paNOW Staff))

By Susan McNeil

Shopping carts

Stray no more – shopping carts will have $10 recovery fee

Jun 14, 2023 | 5:00 PM

City businesses hoping to recover missing shopping carts from city facilities will pay a $10 recovery fee.

Councillor Don Cody asked how the policy would motivate large companies in any way while smaller businesses would be unduly impacted.

“Are we going to charge Walmart and Co-op and the Superstore, those charges won’t make a tinker’s damn to me because they’ve all got the money but when I look at little Herold’s, that’s a little steep and they get them stolen just as often as anybody,” he said.

The initial proposed amount of $30 per cart was reduced to $10, three dollars more than what is charged by a private business that currently picks them up and returns the carts.

Stray carts seen by city staff are to be collected and taken to the landfill. Businesses will be able to collect them until a designated date every month. After that, any unclaimed carts will be put on the metal recycling pile.

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Staff will pick up any cart, even a full one, if they see it off the business’s property unless it is being used by someone.

“If they’re just abandoned, they’ll get picked up whether they have stuff in them or not,” said acting public works director, Jeff da Silva.

Coun. Blake Edwards questioned the terminology of abandoned, pointing out that the carts are actually stolen property.

“It’s stolen property and here we sit allowing it. I just don’t understand it. It’s stolen,” he said.

Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp said that she thinks people don’t care so much about seeing carts randomly around the city so much as the crime itself.

“It’s sad. That’s tragic. I don’t think anyone wants to have their son or daughter be that person who has their sole possessions in a shopping cart walking around our city,” she said.

Many of Prince Albert’s homeless population use shopping carts for various reasons, including makeshift shelters. (file photo/Susan McNeil)

She added she doesn’t get many calls about carts, but she does get them about crime rates.

Administration talked to most of the businesses affected by cart loss before finalizing the policy and recommendation.

The policy was adopted with five councillors in favour and three people opposed.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com