North York councillors vow crackdown

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A community group is applauding North York councillors who are vowing to crack down on roadside billboards.

"We're delighted with the leadership North York community council has taken," said Rami Tabello, co-ordinator of illegalsigns.ca which came to council Monday urging politicians to get tough on three to four dozen billboards along major highways which he called "illegal".

"It's a big deal because the City of Toronto has completely ignored its bylaw and has allowed advertisers to put up any billboards they wanted. Officials have turned a blind eye. It has gotten to the situation where it has gotten out of control."

The group argues bureaucratic negligence has allowed advertisers to put up signs all over Toronto, which turns streets and neighbourhoods into a mass marketing campaign.

"It (the proliferation of signs) is a visual blight to our streetscape. It undermines the way our city looks," Tabello said,

"We should treat visual pollution the same as air pollution."

He is pleased North York councillors support hiring a consultant to remove illegal signs which advertisers refuse to remove. The issue must still be dealt with by city council, which is scheduled to meet next week.

Strategic Media Outdoor Inc., which has a billboard - which illegalsigns.ca opposes - on the north side of an apartment building at 135 Fenelon Dr. at the Don Valley Parkway, issued a statement Tuesday afternoon.

"After being subject to unfair, invalid and inconsistently enforced bylaws that regulate signage on buildings in the city of Toronto, Strategic Media has submitted an application to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to have the current bylaws quashed," the statement said.

Billboards are a legitimate business, contribute to the economy and provide an opportunity for building owners to generate revenue, the company said, adding under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms the city is not justified in arbitrarily restricting signs.

"All we want are fair bylaws created by due process and applied equally and consistently to all," company director Daniel Pitoscia said.

"In addition to the legal shortcomings of the City of Toronto's bylaws concerning wall signs, the city's bylaws have not kept up with the technological advances in the sign business. We hope to find a fair and reasonable solution to this matter."

Ward 34 (Don Valley East) Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong praised Strategic Media for removing a billboard from the south side of the Fenelon building because it was disturbing residents.

Meanwhile, Minnan-Wong said he attempted to broker a deal, which would have seen the company hand over a 30- to 40-per cent cut of the advertising revenue from the north side billboard to the community.

The north billboard doesn't upset residents and the deal would have generated tens of thousands of dollars for the neighbourhood, said Minnan-Wong, adding other councillors rejected the idea.

The Fenelon building aside, Minnan-Wong agreed illegal billboards and outdoor advertising signs in general are a problem.

"I think we really need to reclaim our public spaces. We should be going after the trailer signs and big signs that are really littering our public boulevards. They're littering every street corner in this city," he said.

"We've lost control of our boulevards and public spaces. There is lawlessness here that makes streets look dirty."