HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRPS-09-088 - Graffiti Strategy - Update
REPORT
REPORT TO:
Finance and Corporate Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING:
June 22, 2009
SUBMITTED BY:
Troy Speck, General Manager of Corporate Services
PREPARED BY:
Shayne Turner, Director of By-law Enforcement
WARD(S) INVOLVED:
All
DATE OF REPORT: June 12, 2009
REPORT NO.:
CRPS-09-088
SUBJECT:
UPDATE - GRAFFITI STRATEGY
RECOMMENDATION:
For Information
BACKGROUND:
Currently, the City of Kitchener has a couple of components that are used to deal with the
problem of graffiti in the City. These include the Graffiti Busters Hotline, allowing members of
the public to report locations where graffiti has been observed, as well as a provision in the
City’s Property Standards By-law (Chapter 665) that requires that graffiti be cleaned from
surfaces once it has been discovered.
Having said this, it is becoming increasingly apparent that a larger and more comprehensive
strategy is required.
REPORT:
The Graffiti Busters Hotline provides a mechanism for the public to report incidents of graffiti to
the City. Once a report has been made, Community Services staff will send a letter to the
property owner, advising that the graffiti must be removed, where the graffiti is on private
property. A copy of the letter is sent to the By-law Enforcement Division for followup as well. If
the graffiti is found on City or Regional property, the appropriate Department is notified, who will
arrange the removal. Finally, if the graffiti is found on some sort of “street furniture” on a City or
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Regional Road (ie. hydro or cable box, postal box, etc.) the appropriate agency is notified of the
location with a request to remove it.
As indicated, the City’s Property Standards By-law contains a provision that requires the owners
of property where graffiti exists to remove the graffiti within the timeframe specified by staff.
Failure to comply with staff’s Order can result in legal action or the City removing the graffiti at
the property owner’s expense. It is clear that the property standards provision, while a tool to
help facilitate quicker removal of graffiti, does appear to further victimize someone who is
already seen as a victim of the graffiti. Thus, a focal point of any strategy is to look at ways to
prevent graffiti in the first place.
A working group made up of City staff from By-law Enforcement and Community Services, the
Downtown BIA and Waterloo Regional Police initially met to look at the development of a graffiti
strategy. It soon became apparent that the appropriate approach to take, given the nature of
Waterloo Region, would be to develop a regional approach to address graffiti that must include
participation from the area municipalities and a variety of other stakeholders.
Earlier this spring, after discussing the issue with staff, Mayor Zehr sent a communication to his
counterparts in the other 6 municipalities and the Region, requesting their support in identifying
staff within their jurisdictions who could participate in initial discussions aimed at establishing a
working group to develop a strategy.
City staff and Waterloo Regional Police will be coordinating the first meeting of all participants.
Although it is too soon to tell, staff are hopeful that all participants will agree to continue moving
forward towards a comprehensive anti-graffiti strategy. It is highly likely that other stakeholders
will be identified early and invited into the process (ie. school boards, utility companies, Canada
Post, etc.).
Although it is premature to identify what such a graffiti strategy would look like, it is evident that
staff will be looking at the 4 E’s approach, involving education, eradication, engagement and
enforcement. In addition, a key element of the strategy development will include a close look at
what is happening in other municipalities throughout North America.
Further reporting to Council will take place as needed, either as an update or when necessary
based on the need for decision making.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None identified at this time. Any potential costs associated with a comprehensive strategy will
be reported to Council at the appropriate time.
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COMMUNICATIONS:
No corporate communications required at this time.
CONCLUSION:
Staff from the City of Kitchener By-law Enforcement Division and Division 1 of Waterloo
Regional Police Services are spearheading an effort to engage the other municipalities with the
Region as well as other stakeholders in the development of a comprehensive graffiti strategy.
Such a strategy is likely to be based on the 4 E’s approach of education, eradication,
engagement and enforcement.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Troy Speck, General Manager of Corporate Services
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