Cities ink punishing bylaw to quell graffiti

Kirkland and Baie d’Urfé are looking to put a cap on graffiti. At their monthly council meetings last week, the two municipalities put forward a notice of motion looking to amend their nuisance bylaws to make possessing and transporting materials to produce graffiti a punishable offence. “We’ve noticed that our graffiti has been on the incline in the past few years,” said Kirkland’s director general Joe Sanalitro.

While Sanalitro said he could not comment on exactly what the bylaw amendment would be because it is still being drafted, he indicated a number of municipalities, like Dorval, have laws that aim to keep spray paint out of vandals’ hands.

Dorval spokesperson Colette Gauthier said the city amended their nuisance bylaw in 2007 to “give police a tool to react” to those who may intend to mark private or public property with graffiti or tags. “If a man is about to paint his car with spray paint and he has one can in a Canadian Tire bag, I don’t think there’s a presumption there, necessarily, of the intent of drawing a tag or graffiti,” she said. “But, if it’s a couple of kinds with a bunch of cans, that’s another story.”

Tickets for transporting, possessing, or using material with the intent of drawing grafitti or tags are $150 for a first offence, and $300 for a second offence.

Sanalitro said Kirkland hopes to pass the amendment at their August council meeting. “We’re just looking at all our options to make sure that we follow suit, and that we’re updating our bylaws to be in line with today’s environment,” he said.

Lana Cardinal at the Baie d’Urfé town hall said council will adopt a bylaw change similar to Dorval’s at their next meeting in August.