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Illegal Signs blog launches!

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Here at Spacing, we’ve been using the term “ad creep” for years to help illustrate the impact of intrusive outdoor advertising in Toronto. These ads really are creeping on to our streets as a large percentage of them are completely illegal. The offenders often neglect to get the proper permits and completely ignore the bylaws the City has in place. The ad companies then often ignore the City’s “Notice to Comply”, which is a bureaucratic way of asking the perpetrators to take the sign down. And often, folks at the City’s Licensing and Standards department fail to follow through on complaints made by the public as cases get passed around from bylaw officer to bylaw officer, sometimes for years.

Thankfully, the launch on IllegalSigns.ca will help increase the visibility of an ad industry that thinks they rule our visual landscape. The blog will help identify and research potentially illegal billboards all over Toronto. Swing by the site and check out some of their fantastic work trying to hold the ad industry to account for their continued disregard for the law. With their help, maybe this city can truly become clean and beautiful.

UPDATE: Just to be clear, Illegalsigns.ca is not a project of Spacing. We’ve had a few people ask us if we are running the site, but we’re not. Illegalsigns.ca is an independent organization and is run by a group of volunteers.

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9 comments

  1. Something is broken here. Why aren’t these companies being fined for their illegal signs? Obviously it makes sense as a business for them to ignore the city by-laws. Is that not a problem? Why is this work being done by volunteers? Can the city really not afford to enforce their own by-laws, or do they just not care?

  2. Awesome. I applaud those who are taking the time to track and bring atttention to this issue. Another example of the net giving people power.

  3. I am in [heart] with this website and the people behind it.

    I hope they don’t get assassinated!

  5. The reason this is being done by volunteers, is because the city doesn’t do any pro-active bylaw enforcement of our sign bylaw. Literally. It’s not in anyone’s job description. It’s a complaint-driven process, which means they will only take action against an illegal billboard if someone complains about it. Complaining, however, is impossible because there is no clear indication on a billboard whether or not it has a permit, and trying to find out from the city is almost impossible. It takes time, persistence and money.

    So why hasn’t the mayor or city council done anything about it? Probably for the same reasons that they keep putting ads on everything else, from streetcar wraps, to subway station wallpapering, to garbage cans, cultural sponsorhips, etc, etc. Ad companies are on the loose in Toronto, and our current City Council is a silent accomplice (and sometimes even an active accomplice, such as the Street Furniture Program, TTC ads and corporate sponsorship sluttery).

  6. this is an interesting website not so much for the signage (though it’s pretty shocking) as the advocacy and the demonstration of how the City reacts (or doesn’t) to evidence of dodgy practices. This site needs to be brought to the attention of Moscoe ASAP so he can get lots of income from sign violators (by confiscating their signs) – if he can propose charging disabled people for parking I’m sure he can find ways to hit these guys.

    Unfortunately as pointed out on Joe Clark’s website Moscoe’s former post has been known to occlude signs with advertising: http://joeclark.org/design/signage/TTC/

    But maybe Howard’s staying away from it for other reasons – I just remembered this:
    http://blog.canoe.ca/rob/2006/10/18/moscoe_s_monopoly

  7. Yes I’m a sign guy. I make my living off this mess… except I don’t. bad signage creates thick skin. people ignore even the relevant advertising. we have reached a time when you have to scream to make yourself heard… If it no longer works, then people arent going to pay for good quality. All the business goes to the cheapest international signmaker with no design standards.

  8. I totally agree with Allan, as a sign person myself there use to be a time when you would see great signage design and the production. Sure it did cost however making a client stand out was apart of our work. i was trained with some old sckool guys who taught me with a brush and a malstick…haha…now into the large format digital print…i have and working on getting into the sign bylaw aspect of this business. why? because there is just so much crap everywhere like garbage bag signs sticking everywhere…There is so much sign crap everywhere that no one can really see the SIGNs anymore. This has been promoted by all the retail sign franchies that have popped up also…people buy these places with no background in the business and art trained to keep pumping out the crap……..
    Really sign bylaws should be enforced from the sign companies to the buiness owners………..

  9. Hey,

    Check out our “success” in Manitoba. After 3 years of putting relentless pressure on Manitoba Highways and Infrastructure and getting Premier Doers’ ear ( hear it on Winnipeg radio station CJOB’s Town Hall Meeting with the Premier aired June 3rd/08 at: 11:00 a.m.

    Go to:

    http://www.cjob.com and go to archives and enter date and time.