A member of Vernon's Downtown Clean Team washing a bench in the downtown core (photo courtesy of the City of Vernon)

By Liam Verster

Clean Team

Clean Team busy in ‘overwhelmingly positive’ first season

Oct 29, 2025 | 6:00 AM

Vernon’s new community cleaning initiative had a busy first season.

The Downtown Clean Team, consisting of two city employees equipped with a truck, trailer, water tank, and pressure washer, began their work to help beautify the city centre on June 1.

A city report said the team, which worked up to September 30, went out every morning to clean sidewalks, boulevards, and frontages, but also responded to nearly 100 calls for service from residents and business owners. Those calls ranged from graffiti and vandalism, to hazardous material and sharps, to litter and abandoned shopping carts.

Over the four months of their operation, the Clean Team adjusted their morning route to more frequently visit locations that had generated the most reports of litter and debris. The report stated that work “likely contributed to an overall reduction in the volume of public complaints.”

The Clean Team also assisted business owners and residents by providing guidance and support on addressing cleanliness concerns on private property.

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The team also worked with the unhoused population, which the city said led to many of those individuals requesting garbage bags and filling them on their own accord before giving back to the Clean Team to be disposed.

“[The Clean Team’s] consistent presence led to a noticeable improvement in the overall cleanliness of the downtown core,” the city report stated.

“Feedback from local businesses, residents, and the Downtown Vernon Association has been overwhelmingly positive, with many noting a visible difference and expressing strong support for the continuation of the program.”

The Clean Team was launched as a two-year pilot program after council agreed to allocate $88,000 per year on the beautification work in April.