| HISTORY
OF THE ANTI-POSTERING BYLAW
|
|
Some
memorable quotes from the City Council Meeting on May 18 2005:
“Our first principle has to be about
freedom of speech. This is an an issue that no City Council should
take lightly. The Supreme Court of Canada has said that postering
is an appropriate expression of free speech.”
~ Mayor David Miller
“If
I had my way, there wouldn’t be any posters. Get rid of them
all.”
~ Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby
"Posters make our city filthy and dirty.”
~ Councillor Rob Ford
“Posters are totally disgusting. A lot of it is pornography.”
~Councillor Frances Nunziata
|
Background
This
anti-postering bylaw was drafted in 2002. It was an attack on our culture,
diversity and freedom of expression.
The Toronto
Public Space Committee played a leading role in mobilising community opposition
to the proposal. After a wave of petitions, rallies and press conferences,
City Council was forced to to send the by-law back to city staff for more
public consultation.
On
October 9, 2002, the city hosted a public forum at Metro Hall and citizens
were able to voice their concerns about the by-law and the state of postering
in the city. Staff were directed by Council to re-write the bylaw to reflect
public opinion and to ensure freedom of speach on our streets.
Over
two years later, on March 8th 2005 the anti-postering bylaw was approved
by the City's Planning & Transportation Committee. Ignoring a staff
recommendation and overwhelming public opposition, the Committee members
approved a bylaw that would ban posters on 98% of Toronto's utility poles.
Click
here for more details about the March 8th decision and to download
our "Lost Persons" posters!
On
Wednesday May 18th, City Council debated the anti-postering bylaw. After
hours of debate City Councillors did NOT adopt the anti-postering bylaw.
Instead they voted 21 to 17 to delay the vote and refer the proposal to
the Mayor's office. Mayor Miller was given four months to find an alternative
proposal that works for everyone. We were thrilled to hear the Mayor stand
up in support of freedom of expression and a vibrant city.
After a four year campaign against the bylaw, we feel we are close to
winning the battle. Although many Councillors are still extremely opposed
to all forms of postering (please read some amusing quotes above), we
are confident that we can work with the Mayor's office and other Councillors
and community groups to find a solution that keeps posters on our streets
as part of the rich creativity and diversity that makes Toronto a special
place to live.
The
main points of the proposed bylaw were:
- Posters
only allowed on 2% of hydro poles in Toronto
- Posters have to be 100 metres apart
- You must put the "date of posting" on each poster
- Staff was also asked to investigate the possibility of requiring scannable
barcode permit stickers for every poster in Toronto.
The City has
tried to restrict postering before, most recently in 1993 and 1997. The
proposed by-law has been fought in court and struck down as a violation
of the Charter of Rights & Freedoms.
If passed,
the restrictions would have affected everyone in the city. Most communities
would be left with no place for community messages. Public space would
become the domain of the commercial advertiser.
| 
