On November 4th, 2009, the Planning and Growth Management Committee unanimously passed the City’s new billboard bylaw and tax proposal.
This victory for public space advocates, progressive councillors, and Mayor Miller will provide harmonized regulation of the billboard industry and the tax will create the revenue needed to enforce those regulations.
Representatives from the billboard industry argue that the proposed amount of the tax ($10 million / year city wide) would put them out of business. However, many believe that the billboard companies are underestimating their earnings, greatly. The City hired David Amborski, an outside economist, developed the tax rate on the belief that it would amount to only 7% of industry revenue.
The most interesting moment of the night occurred when industry representatives, there in protest, argued that the proposed bylaw does not support, nor accommodate their continued growth, limiting the number of billboards that go legally be put up. These restrictions include imposing minimum separation distances between billboards and prohibiting them at intersections. In response to this, Councillor Janet Davis (Ward 31, Beaches- East York) said: “Well maybe we just shouldn’t have growth in advertising. I don’t want to live in a city with an ever-growing and burgeoning number of signs…it’s not my vision of a beautiful city.”
The bylaw’s next step will be a hearing before the full City Council.
For more information on the bylaw, read the City of Toronto’s official page for the bylaw at http://www.toronto.ca/signbylawproject/ or read a great overview from Torontoist.com at http://torontoist.com/2009/05/everything_you_ever_wanted_to_know.php
Tags: Advertising, Billboards, Legal Matters, Out of Home, Toronto
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