WATCH: A Duncan cycling shop owner is inspiring pride in his community by doing dirty work with a smile. Every day you’ll find Will Arnold picking up garbage and cleaning up graffiti, needles and waste and its catching on.
When Will Arnold suits up for the task at hand, he knows it could be a very ugly scene that awaits.
“I’ve had needles pulled on me, I’ve had knives pulled on me,” said Arnold, who owns Experience Cycling.
“We’ve had shouting matches but I started to change that and give them a more positive attitude.”
With a genuine smile that he’s worn every day on his volunteer patrol for years, he sets out to make his little corner of Duncan a little more beautiful.
“I just pick up everything,” said Arnold.
“I bring out the weed eater I do the whole block, weed eating. I’ve power washed, I’ve power washed my neighbour’s buildings.”
He is transforming Whistler Street by taking it upon himself to be its friendly neighbourhood caregiver.
Arnold got a hug from Elizabeth Traer, from nearby business Copycat Printing.
“He’s motivated all of the shop owners around that we are taking pride in taking back our neighbourhood,” said Traer.
These cleanups started because the Duncan dad was seeing the streets around his shop, Experience Cycling, getting worse it seemed by the day.
“We had a few businesses here move out because of it,” said Arnold. “A lot of my customers that were saying you live in a bad part of town.”
So he took it upon himself to bring the street back and it hasn’t looked back since.
“And the next thing you know the momentum starts,” said Arnold.
Now Arnold is part of a clean sweep duo. The owner of Duncan Music, next door to his shop, has taken on the torch too.
“Every morning we do needle sweeps, check for graffiti, clean up garbage,” said Adam Hendershot of Duncan Music.
Skye Ryan
