Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 ::: Screw-Ups
No comments yet

The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto had a slate of signs by-laws that are still on the books. The laws [huge PDF] prohibited billboards from being within 45 metres of the Don Valley Parkway and certain portions of Mount Pleasant, Eglinton East, Lawrence East, Lake Shore East, and The Queensway.

Problem is, we have discovered that our Buildings Department has been issuing illegal permits to advertising companies to build billboards within 45 metres of the DVP and the protected sections of key arterial roads. Only City Council has the permission to allow signs in these protected locations, but Toronto Building officials ignore the law and issue the permits anyway. There are approximately 25 billboards around town that were granted illegal permits in this manner — and all of them are going to have to come down because City officials can’t grant permission to break the law.

The most recent illegal billboard permit issued contrary to Metro by-laws, 08-104507, was issued to CBS Outdoor in March 2008 to replace this roof sign at 1733 Eglinton Avenue East. The permit for the original Urban Outdoor roof sign was also issued in disregard of Metro law.

We previously looked at this issue in A Massive Pattison Outdoor Expressway Billboard at 14 Roncesvalles is Illegal Because it is in Violation of a 1957 By-Law. Let’s take a look at a few more signs that were granted permits without regard for the law.

This is a CBS Outdoor 14′x48′ located on Mount Pleasant, between Bloor Street East and St. Clair East, a portion of the road where billboards are prohibited. It was nevertheless granted a permit by City officials:

At 943 Eglinton Avenue East, Pattison Outdoor obtained a permit in 1999 to build this 10′x40′ on the roof of Robert Lowrey Piano Experts, despite the fact that Metro By-Law 211-79 prohibits billboards on Eglinton East between Brentcliffe and Jonesville:

In the same permit application, Pattison obtained a permit to build the 10′x40′ on the next lot, 953 Eglinton Avenue East:

On railway land on the south side of Eglinton East, east of Leslie, and still in the prohibited zone between Brentcliffe and Jonesville lies this Pattison 10′x20′ that was granted permission:

On Lawrence East, billboards are prohibited between the Donway and Victoria Park, pursuant to the same Metro by-law. That didn’t stop Buildings officials from issuing a permit allowing Astral Media to build this sign on the north side of Eglinton, west of Carnforth Road:

That’s a 14′x48′ converted into two 10′x20′s. Meanwhile, on The Queensway, where billboards are banned between Roncesvalles and Park Lawn, Pattison Outdoor was nevertheless able to obtain a permit to build this sign well within the restricted zone at 147 The Queensway:

That sign is not only in the prohibited zone, it is also too high — so that it could be seen above the roof of the building. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Metro violations.

Something very improper is going on with the way Toronto Building issued permits.