"This Committee is in total disarray"

These were the words of a frustrated and tired Howard Moscoe after a five hour meeting about the city's anti-postering bylaw. After hearing deputations from the public and reading a staff report recommending against the ban, the Councillors approved the ban anyway. The final decision was to allow postering only on 2% of the utility poles in Toronto. However, they made no decision on how to physically indicate which 98% of the poles we're not allowed to poster on! They even asked staff to investigate the option of each poster in Toronto having a scannable barcode permit.

The proposals that they adopted are unnecessary, impossible to enforce, too restrictive, too expensive and won't stand up in court. Even the Committee Chair, Gerry Altobello urged the Councillors not to adopt the bylaw at the end of the day.

Lastly, the Committee agreed that the bylaw should not ban posters for "lost persons, lost pets or yard sales." That's a nice gesture, but it excludes a lot of really worthwhile posters! Posters that aren't exempt from the ban include: bake sales, piano lessons, community meetings, political gatherings, art exhibits, cultural events, etc.

By the end of the meeting, the Councillors themselves were lost and so we offer you these downloadable posters for you to put up in your neighborhood. These posters will help raise awareness about the anti-postering law, and they will remain legal after the ban has been implemented because they are about lost people!

Information on how to get involved with the campaign

Read what the media has to say about the proposed by-law

Read the list of groups that have endorsed our campaign

Resources, downloads and pro-poster campaigns in other cities