Billboard Tax Vote Resumes Friday: Councillor's Motion Disrespects Majority
of Torontonians
Controversial motion by Councillor Norm Kelly guts staff recommendations and discounts public input: Tax halved, number of billboards allowed effectively doubled. Kelly also pushes for electronic billboards everywhere, closer to intersections, to be bigger and lax light pollution standards
- Half the tax devoted to beautifying the city with arts and culture - after reducing the amount twice already. - Allow LED/electronic copy billboards in all neighbourhoods - trusting the industry not to use them as video boards. - Reducing the required distance of billboards to intersections from 30 to 6 meters - opening up hundreds of new billboard locations in suburban neighbourhoods and impacting driver safety. - Increasing the allowable height of all wall signs to a colossal 20 meters. - Reducing the lights-off provision - designed to reduce light pollution in protect the health of apartment dwellers and migrating birds. The motion goes against staff recommendations, over 1000 public submissions, a 4500 strong petition as well as 7 out of 10 Torontonians who in an earlier Environics Poll supported "the city working to reduce the number of billboards in general." BeautifulCity.ca encourages concerned residents to call their councillor and the mayor to let them know what they think about such measures. /RESOURCES/ Kelly's Motion: http://www.beautifulcity.ca/KellyMotion1.pdf OMAC Circular: http://www.beautifulcity.ca/omacneeds.pdf Environics Poll: http://www.beautifulcity.ca/bcbf/Environics.pdf EKOS Poll: http://www.beautifulcity.ca/ekos.pdf Economic Impact Study: http://tinyurl.com/ylcy5c8 'Why Art' http://www.beautifulcity.ca/bcbf/BC-WhyArts.pdf Watch on TV: http://www.rogerstv.com/option.asp?rid=16&lid=12&sid=1030
For further information: Devon Ostrom, [email protected], (647) 267-4221; Julia Che, Agents of Change, [email protected], (416) 928-1978
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