Business owners upset with smelly planters in downtown Sudbury

Two downtown business owners are expressing concerns about the cleanliness of the area.

From garbage to dog and human excrement, they would like the city to do more to clean the area and keep it welcoming to people shopping downtown.

Tony Monteleone has owned businesses in the downtown core for the past 48 years and has been vocal about his concerns with the state of area. His most recent issue is an unsightly planter outside his shop.

"Not just dog crap there is human crap that I pick up every day, every morning when I do the sweep of the building in front of Durham Street because the city is not doing their job," said Monteleone.

"I keep complaining and they are not doing a darn thing about it."

Irene Andruch co-owns Thrive Health Food Essentials on Durham Street and is also upset with the condition of the planter outside her store.

She calls it dirty and disgusting.

"Usually people go downtown in the summertime and we've got plants and something else but recently there has been things that don't smell as sweet as flowers, let’s say,” said Andruch.

“And it doesn't help the image of downtown where people glance over and they see excrement right in your face, basically."

As a taxpayer Monteleone said he's insulted.

"Where is our taxpayer money going to?” he asked.

“I pay over $100,000 in taxes on my building and look what I have to put up with. What are they doing for me? They are doing nothing.”

CTV News reached out to the city but no one was available to provide information about concerns about the cleanliness of downtown before our publication time.