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HISTORY: How a bad idea got even worse
Six years ago a company named OMG (Olifas Marketing Group) convinced City Council to let them rip out thousands of garbage cans from our sidewalks and replace them with new privately owned cans, wrapped in advertising. This clever project allowed OMG to put ads in places that advertizers could never get to before; street corners, parks, residential areas, school playgrounds, etc. Almost overnight, 4,000 brand new mini-billboards appeared on our streets.
The project was a disaster. The OMG cans began falling apart as soon as they were installed. The doors fell open, they dented easily , they were flimsy, etc. OMG also had a habit of placing their garbage cans in the strangest places, out of reach of pedestrians, but arranged so their ads would be clearly seen by passing car traffic. They even refused at times to pay the City money that was owed under the contract.
Lousy cans, poor
placement and more patronizing ads on the street. It was an experiment in
privatization, gone bad. In 2003 OMG was purchased by a new company called
EUCAN.
Now,
Eucan wants to install thousands of new bins on our sidewalks with illuminated
billboards that are almost 8 feet high!
City Staff recommended against the proposal. They suggested that
the City purchase 1,000 recycling bins without advertising.
Unfortunately, after five hours of deputations expressing overwhelming opposition to the Eucan billboard proposal, the Works Committee voted 4 to 3 to accept the EUCAN plan. (Progressive Councillors were outraged that they had received the proposal only one working day before the meeting).
Four days later, the Policy and Finance Committee adopted a Trojan Horse proposal for a "pilot project" which could place up to 308 billboard-bins on our streets.
On July 20th 2004, City Council and the Mayor voted in favour of the pilot project, ignoring overwhelming public opposition and their own staff requests for 1,000 recycling bins without ads. The vote was a 24 to 17 decision.
As this pilot project unfolded, we will be worked hard to make sure that the public was made aware of the negative impacts the billboard-bins will have on the environment and the visual landscape.
Following
a three month pilot project, a staff report that compiled the public's responses
was released and was presented at Works Committee on January 12.
Staff report: www.publicspace.ca/eucan_pilot_report.pdf
Our press release: www.publicspace.ca/monsterrelease_jan0906.htm
The report summarised the concerns that citizens and groups have with the
bins' design and functionality (or lack thereof). The Works Committee unanimously
voted to delay the project until May 3 2006! This is a huge victory and gives
us more time to send a strong message to City Councillors: Stop Selling our
Streets!