Historicist: "The city that nobody loves"
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse
The hoarding enclosing the Toronto Community Housing building under construction at the corner of Carlton and Mutual Streets is not that much unlike other projects like it around the city: covered with advertising posters for Fido, Toronto Stories, and The National Ballet of Canada, in spite of the "Post No Bills" signs those posters recently buried, it's a mostly unremarkable site. Still, someone's had just about enough: they've ripped down some of the posters to reveal the "Post No Bills" signs underneath and done some postering of their own, with signs that either re-affirm the rule or suggest that their reader "ask these companies why, when they get a generous tax benefit for advertising from Canadians, that they poster where they have been asked not to." The homemade 8 1/2 x 11" posters plastered onto the walls were caught this week by two members of Torontoist's Flickr Pool, Loozrboy and (former Torontoist editor) Marc Lostracco.
We reached Toronto Community Housing's Media Relations Manager Jeffrey Ferrier by phone yesterday, and he pointed us to the City's Municipal Code, which, under Section 363.15 F, states that fences enclosing residential construction and demolition sites must be "maintained...in good repair....and be free of graffiti and posters." Because the posters—all of them, including the ones criticizing the ads—violate the Code, and because the responsibility to keep the hoarding "in good repair" falls in the builder's lap, Ferrier says that it's his organization's job to get rid of all of 'em. So while protesting a law being broken by breaking that same law is sometimes the most satisfying way to highlight the initial offense, it's too bad that Toronto Community Housing is now left with the far less fun task of completing what someone else started.
Photos above.
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I can't say anything I haven't said before about the double standards at street level.
Someone should cover legit Fido ads with POST NO BILLS signs.
I must say I do not really care about advertising, just as I don't really care about graffiti, although I wish both would match my tastes, and I'm guessing most people feel the same.
But honestly, "visual pollution" is a really lame idea.
In the case of signage (signs, stickers, etc) that advertise businesses and are attached to street signs and traffic light poles, can't we just get a law in place that any business being promoted gets fined?... they all pretty much have their phone number on them anyway. I suppose this could lead to sabotage but I'm sure there's a way to prevent that. Adding these 'no post' zones, as well, is fine with me...
There already is a by-law in place, which was consolidated from the previous bylaws from the six former municipalities, all of which make it illegal and a fineable offense. The problem is a lack of enforcement.
And for postered non-City items like letterboxes and trash bins, for example, it's the responsibility of Canada Post and EcoMedia to clean those up at their own cost (if they choose to bother).
On the hoarding where the posters in the article appear, I noticed that someone has written that it's OK because a grassroots street team put them up...as if that excuses Rogers et al from postering where they're not supposed to. "Hey, it wasn't us who did it!"
I think that's a good idea. And I don't think sabotage would be a problem - competitors probably wouldn't spend the time and money to advertise for someone else just to incur a fine. Plus subversive adbusting generally is pretty clearly not put out by the company...so yeah.
I've been saying that for years. The city should also fine bands and such who employ street teams to stencil their name or logo on sidewalks.