[R-G] Quebec City considers law to knock down advertising billboards

[Anthony Fenton]

Quebec City considers law to knock down advertising billboards

2 days ago

MONTREAL — Historic Quebec City hopes to take down a modern roadside  
decoration - the ubiquitous billboard.

The 400-year-old city is proposing a bylaw to wipe out large ad panels  
across much of the Quebec capital region in the next five years.

Serge Viau, the city's assistant director general, says billboards  
mask Quebec City's European architecture and stunning views.

"With the goal of cleaning up the urban landscape in mind, we decided  
to make the signs disappear," Viau said of proposed changes to the  
city's urban plan.

He says in today's age of junk mail and overloaded e-mail inboxes,  
there's no need for imposing visual pollution.

"These days, there are lots of ways to advertise," Viau said. "We are  
inundated by advertising everywhere."

But companies that own the billboards say their signs provide an  
economic boon for the community.

Jeannot Lefebvre of CBS Outdoor said the panels create jobs and fund  
municipal coffers through taxes and sometimes rent.

"We don't understand," said Lefebvre, whose company has more than 100  
signs in the capital, including a massive ad promoting Quebec City's  
400th birthday.

"There are closures in different industries, of different scales, and  
this would be creating additional unemployment. Ask a citizen if he  
would want to increase his taxes by a dollar or two, I think he will  
say 'No."'

CBS Outdoor would consider relocating unwanted billboards to  
accommodate the changing urban landscape, Lefebvre added.

Quebec City is not the first Canadian town to consider signage  
restrictions.

Vancouver limits large signs perched on rooftops, while the leafy  
Toronto suburb of Oakville is in court protecting its strict anti- 
billboard bylaw.

Billboard company Vann Media Group Inc. challenged Oakville's ban  
several years ago, calling it unconstitutional.

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled the city could limit the size of  
signs, but could not ban them altogether, said Oakville lawyer Barnet  
Kussner.

In January, an Ontario Superior Court judge quashed the bylaw. The  
city launched an appeal, which will be heard in May.

Last year, Sao Paulo, Brazil, one of the world's most populous cities,  
dismantled signs and unplugged neon lights as it banned almost all  
forms of outdoor advertising.

Rami Tabello, creator of the anti-billboard activist website  
illegalsigns.ca, called ad panels "urban blights" that can kill the  
nuances of a neighbourhood.

"I think it's a fantastic thing," Tabello said of Quebec City's  
proposal.

"The nature of the city and the history of the place is perhaps  
something that they're looking to protect. If there's a French word  
for kudos then we give that to them."

Viau said changes to Quebec City's urban plan call for a ban on new  
panels in the greater metropolitan area, which includes 11 former  
towns that merged several years ago.

Companies would be required to knock down existing signs after five  
years.

Quebec City will host public consultations this fall on the proposal,  
which could be adopted as early as December.

"Certainly, the companies that manage these panels are not in  
agreement," Viau said.

"But in general, public reaction has been relatively good."

Billboard companies, meanwhile, vow to defend their position during  
consultations.

"The industry will certainly be heard," Lefebvre said.

"We are surprised with the position, but we will learn the dossier and  
present our case."