Spiral Beach Caught In Erich Genseberger’s EcoMedia Shakedown Scheme
Spiral Beach (MySpace, Website), a poppy local band, is the latest casualty in EcoMedia’s shakedown of postering in the City of Toronto.
The band had the temerity to place the above poster on “a number” of Toronto’s privately owned garbage bins and received this shakedown letter [PDF] from EcoMedia’s Erich Genseberger demanding $1,470:
EcoMedia’s contract with the City of Toronto requires it to keep their bins clean of posters. The amount of money EcoMedia pays the City of Toronto in return for the right to advertise on the bins was negotiated with the full knowledge that it would cost EcoMedia money to keep the bins clean. In other words, Genseberger is already being paid by the City of Toronto a fixed amount to keep his bins clean.
EcoMedia is now engaged in an appalling shakedown scheme whereby it is seeking to be paid twice for the same thing.
Furthermore, the contract with the City does not permit EcoMedia to require payment for the use of its bins, and we believe that EcoMedia’s letters to bill posters represent a breach of contract. The City’s new postering by-law is current not in effect - it does not become law until postering kiosks are installed pursuant to the Street Furniture Coordination program.
June 5th, 2008 at 2:17 am
The bill is a bit excessive, even if it isn’t a breach of contract.
But I can’t say that I’m in favour of junking up the landscape with ads at all… whether it’s a poster for a local band or a billboard for a new car.