It isn't easy being a business owner in the City of Toronto. Many struggle with property taxes. Local shops fight to stay afloat in a market saturated with foreign competition and major corporations. The soaring cost of gas and hydro make it difficult to keep operating costs down.
The challenges are great enough without the additional headache of having your storefront, signs and company trucks defaced by graffiti artists - often on multiple occasions.
This has been the unlucky circumstance for many property owners across the city, but most recently in south Etobicoke where police counted 71 'tags' or graffiti signatures in a three-block radius near The Queensway and Islington Avenue.
Last week four men were arrested and charged in what police called a "rampant graffiti spree" in the area. Storefronts, vehicles and signs were defaced. According to a local restaurant manager, a new computer store had its glass windows covered in graffiti before they had a chance to open for business.
The arrests were a small victory in an ongoing citywide problem that unfairly penalizes property owners.
Police told The Guardian that graffiti cases are difficult to break and arrests and charges are rare.
This is an unfortunate reality for shop owners who have to incur the costs of cleaning up the street art, thanks to a city bylaw requiring them to do so.
If they don't comply, they're slapped with a notice of violation and the city cleans it up for them - tacking the charge onto their next municipal tax bill.
One business in Bloor West gave up the fight after being targeted time and again. Dynamic Iron, at 3605 Dundas St. W., hired graffiti artists to paint their wall and they recently succeeded in having the graffiti declared an art mural by Etobicoke Community Council. As a result, their wall will be exempt from the cleanup bylaw.
What kind of message does this send to shop owners who diligently dole out the dough to get rid of illegal graffiti?
The city needs to be clear in its policy. Allowing graffiti in one instance and forbidding it in all others could elicit an angry response from cost-burdened property owners, the very group the city should be keeping in its good graces if it's serious about cracking down on vandalism.
The city needs to either embrace the street work as art and give property owners a break - as with the Dynamic Iron case - or step up the offensive, work with police to capture the offenders and give businesses reason to believe the city is on their side.