War Of Words Erupts Over Graffiti
Posted November 1, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There are a lot of big issues in this election campaign – garbage, transit, crime, the waterfront, graffiti.
Wait a second, graffiti?
It might not have been the biggest item on the agenda for prospective city councillors, but it wound up creating a mini-scandal for those running in Ward 32.
It started Wednesday, when incumbent Sandra Bussin unveiled a plan to fight graffiti in her riding, by helping to clean the nasty scrawls off a garage. She held a photo op to make sure the press knew about her plans.
So what’s the big deal? It turns out her opponent, Erica Maier, announced the exact same idea on Monday.
Bussin’s press release came out the next day, but her event was scheduled for two hours earlier.
Now the challenger and the challenged are squabbling about who came first and who should get the glory.
“I guess the idea is a good one, and she’s capitalizing on it,” shrugs Maier. “The thing is that she really should come up with her own ideas at this point.”
Bussin’s response?
“I didn’t know about it,” she swears. “This is something that I was working on from the weekend.”
Despite the dispute, both women agree something has to be done about the proliferation of the scourge in their riding.
“It’s shocking,” Maier contends. “One day you’ll be walking down the street, there will be nothing, and then the next day graffiti along those walls, and it has to stop.”
The argument has overshadowed the real point the candidates were trying to make. Under the present bylaw, only graffiti painted on city property is cleaned up for free. If someone defaces your home or building, you can either scrub it off yourself or pay to have it removed.
If a city inspector orders it brushed away, you have only 72 hours to get the job done. If you don’t and officials have to do it for you, it be could added on to your property tax bill.
Bussin and Maier agree that shouldn’t happen and want taxpayers to pick up the cost of keeping the city looking good. It’s estimated that could run as much as $800,000 per year.
To find out more about how to get rid of graffiti and what the city will do for you, click here.
