Abandoned red pickup truck with poop bags towed from southwest Edmonton after a year

A pile of dog poop bags is all that remains after a red pick-up truck parked along a street in Ramsay Heights in southwest Edmonton, for a year, was towed Thursday morning.

Neighbours were using the abandoned vehicle as a trash can, as it was an eyesore.

James Soriano has been living in the neighbourhood since February and noticed the red pickup truck parked along the street.

“First, I thought it was somebody else’s truck because I didn’t really pay attention to it,” he explained.

Months went by, and the truck was still on the same street till Thursday morning. A flat tire, multiple warning tickets, and used as a trash can, the vehicle was towed after residents like Soriano made several 311 calls.

“I see some of them throwing it in there, so it employs bad behaviour from other people as well, already being there. On top of that, like when you walk by it, it really smells,” said Soriano.

560 vehicles waiting to be impounded in Edmonton

It is not just in the Ramsay Heights neighbourhood; it has been a concern across Edmonton.

“You take a drive around any neighbourhood, you’re bound to find a car. Maybe not quite this bad, but something that looks the same,” said Matthew Goebel, the vice-president of the Westwood Community League.

One vehicle in the Westwood neighbourhood has been sitting since November, parked on the wrong side of the street, showing a couple of break-in attempts.

“It really contributes to a sense of misuse or disuse of public safety issues that we see in many neighbourhoods in the city,” Goebel explained.

Erin Rutherford, in a letter dated April 16th, shared the concern of Edmontonians, stating that the tow lot is lacking to meet the increased demand for space. The councillor highlighted:

• Requests for parking enforcement have increased by 45 per cent over the past two years, with this high volume continuing into 2026.
• The current tow lot capacity is limiting Parking Enforcement operations.
• There are currently 560 vehicles on the tow list awaiting transfer to the Police Seized Impound Lot.

In the statement, it says, “I urge the Police Commission to prioritize the relocation of the tow lot to a larger area as a capital profile for the upcoming 4-year budget and work with the City of Edmonton to find a site that better improves the operations of the tow lot, and therefore, enforcement and policing capacity.”

Goebel adds, “As far as I’m concerned, this is a police issue through and through. The city has given them more than enough money to make this something that doesn’t need to happen.”

Back in Ramsay Heights, despite the one-year delay, the truck was towed on Thursday. The officer on site said the poop bags will be taken care of by the 311 team.

Soriano is happy to see the eyesore gone. Saying, “I’m pretty sure now, later on, we’ll get them like Oh, the truck’s gone!’ And everybody’s going to be celebrating, so it’s like a communal eyesore, I guess, is the way to put it.”