For Susan Kotyk, who has lived in Angus, a town in Essa Township for 10 years, the graffiti in her neighbourhood is not artistic expression but vandalism.
“It’s not even pretty to look at, it’s just letters. I think it’s ridiculous,” Kotyk said.
Residents in the small community of 15,000 have noticed an increase in tagging, the signature used by graffiti artists to mark their work.
“Nothing of mine has been tagged, but it makes our neighbourhood look trashy,” she said.
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Essa Township has a rapid removal program where residents can notify the township of graffiti or tags, and removal takes up to 72 hours.
“We rely on other eyes, we are not on all the roads and streets. Rapid removal reduces a lot of the tagging. When we get it off fast, their audience is diminished and they’re not getting anything out of it,” Essa Township Mayor Sandie Macdonald said.
“We are a very small municipality and have limited resources, but I think we do a good job at getting it off quickly,” she said.
OPP Const. Coty-James Hietanen, of the Nottawasaga detachment that services the area, said there has not been an increase in reports of vandalism or graffiti.
Hietanen said the OPP doesn't have a specific classification for vandalism, as it falls under the Criminal Code violation of mischief.
“The typical markings are spontaneous and usually linked to youths causing mischief,” Hietanen said.
“Residents and business owners can assist by ensuring their properties have video surveillance,” he said.
Macdonald urged Angus residents to call the township at 705-424-9917 to report tagging. She said it is vital for the community to take responsibility to stop the graffiti.
“Call the township if you see it, we’ll get it done in 24 to 72 hours,” she said.
Graffiti removal in more urban areas can be a lot more excessive compared to smaller towns like Angus.
Chris Snoyer, owner of Graffiti Buffer, a graffiti removal business based in Toronto, said the difficulty of removal depends on the surface it's on.
"Removals vary, but our preference is always going to be taking paint off a wall and to restore it to its intended state,” Snoyer said.
“The most standard one we do is to apply chemicals and then use a hot-water power washer to remove it. It’s fairly low cost,” he said.
Macdonald said there are better ways to show artistic expression than painting on property people don’t own.
“Some look at it differently. Some are trying to put their artwork in place, and some are defacing public property. No one should be defacing public property,” Macdonald said.
“I think there are different outlets that they can look at. It could be a school or community run program. But it needs to be tasteful and not offensive,” she said.
Macdonald said putting up a mural for artists to paint on could be a productive outlet.
“What if we gave them a mural, or a banner to paint on? And we could vote on the artwork, and actually let them make something people want to see. That’s something we're looking into,” she said.
Communities have found some relief by putting up murals for artists to paint on, and Kotyk hopes for one in her community.
“There is nothing for young people to do in this town. I think a canvas would be cool, so actual artists can draw cool graffiti.”
