Searching for Tao

I attended Toronto's Executive Committee meeting today to depute on the new Street Furniture Harmonisation Program. Unlike the the last time deputed at City Hall however, my deputation was much clearer. Sadly though, despite the stronger opposition this time, we lost everything.

This whole Strong Mayor system is quite interesting really. Basically, you have a group of councillors who's sole function is to vote as the Mayor wishes -- regardless of what their constituents want or what they personally feel. This was most evident in Councillor Moscoe's statement that he was going to vote for this project, but he'd be "holding his nose" in doing so. I was appalled really at the lack of interest in Democracy.

We had city staff, who despite the high praise hefted upon them by Miller, really did a shit job on this project. They used financial and quantifying numbers not from their own research, but from numbers supplied by the ad companies bidding on the contract. In one case, they even re-wrote the system of measurement, claiming that even though the amount of ad-space (and eye-level ads) was increasing, the "units" of advertising were smaller.

So lets be clear here. Six square feet of ads on a garbage can on the ground, vs roughly twenty-four square feet of illuminated, eye-level ads are comparable in the eyes of city staff. ...I don't know what to say here.

It was right about at this point where David Meslin referred to this whole process as legalising bribery... and he was right. Astral Outdoor is paying Toronto a lot of money to violate our bylaws.

From our position, we deputed on a variety of different subjects. From the lack of allowed public input, to style comparisons with other cities, to the environmental concerns surrounding energy for illuminated ads, to the fact that Astral Media has a well-documented history of non-compliance with city bylaws. Only one of us mentioned the overabundance of ad-space in this contract, but that was the only thing Miller's council focused on at the end... that is, he focused on it and promptly dismissed it.

I don't know what it is that causes me to think that this sort of thing would work. Clearly, when this project came about two years ago, there was no need for consultation or debate. In a sharply divided council favouring the Mayor, Miller gets what Miller wants. Logic be damned.

Street furniture isn't exactly the kind of thing that you might consider a "hot topic", but it is, nonetheless quite exciting in Toronto these days. With City Hall ready to sign the rights to furniture building & maintenance over to a single ad firm for 20 years and only 3 companies on the bidding list worth roughly $150 million, little things like lawsuits against activist groups are a really big deal.

For starters, Clear Channel, one of the 3 bidders has threatened to sue The Toronto Public Space Committee of which I'm a member, for economic loss last month. The media has finally picked up on this and has gotten a number of high-ranking councillors to condemn the move, claiming that Clear Channel should be disqualified from receiving the street furniture contract.

Then there's the conflict of interest claim by illegalsigns.ca, alledging that the director of this coordinated street furniture program was also working for Astral Outdoor, another one of the bidders as a side contract. John Barber from the Globe also covered this today with his usual flair.

And now Astral is threatening to sue illegalsigns.ca for slander. Who said that street furniture was boring?

Toronto is planning on signing a 20year contract with an advertising company for the supply of our street furniture and they're letting you see the models... but just for today. Then they're gone.

The models will be at City Hall for the balance of the day ('till 8pm). Torontoist has photographs as well. Public input on the furniture that will shape the face of the city however is another story. From an email from the TPSC's street furniture campaign:

According to staff, the models will again go on display for one or two additional days here and there in the coming weeks, depending on public "demand." How will they determine public demand? By 1) the number of people who show up to the exhibit they haven't told the public about. And 2) the "feedback" they receive to the email address they haven't told the public about.

If you have a problem with this, we encourage you to send emails to those people in a position to open up this process: David Nagler, the Public Consultation Coordinator; Andy Koropeski, the Director of Transportation Services; Elyse Parker, the Clean and Beautiful City Secretariat; and Mayor Miller, whose determination to privatize Toronto's civic infrastructure has been the driving force behind this project. Their addresses, respectively, are: streetfurniture@toronto.ca, akoropes@toronto.ca, eparker@toronto.ca, mayor_miller@toronto.ca.

I encourage anyone reading this to stop in on the models today if you can, or at the very least check them out on Torontoist and then send your input to the people making these decisions. Personally, I'm not much of a fan of any of the models -- mostly because these companies have all shown that they can't be trusted.

Below is the official press release from the TPSC's street furniture campaign:

11.5 HOURS FOR 20 YEARS
Street furniture models on display Wednesday for one day only

In yet another show of contempt for residents of this City, Transportation Services and Clean and Beautiful City staff have opted to put the models of the City's proposed "street furniture" on display to the public for one day only; they are visible in the City Hall rotunda from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. today, Wednesday, April 4. "This is a contract into which the City would be locked for twenty years," said Jonathan Goldsbie, a campaigner with the Toronto Public Space Committee. "It is unconscionable that City staff could express such disdain towards the people in whose interests they are ostensibly working."

Staff say that they may add additional viewing days in the near future, if there is sufficient demand. How will demand be determined? Through attendance at the exhibition that is not being promoted to the public and through feedback received at an email address that is not being promoted to the public.

Members of the Toronto Public Space Committee will be on hand in the City Hall rotunda today to talk about the "street furniture," to provide the public with information on how to submit their comments, and to explain why this is just the latest fait accompli in a process marked by staff's and the Mayor's indifference towards the wishes and desires of the people of Toronto.

Edit: 2007.04.04 13:15:00

This just in: Jonathan (the TPSC street furniture coordinator) just got this email from the street furniture staff people:

Efforts have been ongoing with Facilities and Real Estate at Toronto City Hall to extend the viewing period of the street furniture models.

Confirmation has been received that street furniture models will be on display at City Hall (west side of rotunda) for a total of five days.

• 8:30am to 8:00pm (April 4, 2007)
• 8:30am to 4:30pm (April 5, 2007)
• 8:30am to 4:30pm (April 10, 2007)
• 8:30am to 4:30pm (April 11, 2007)
• 8:30am to 4:30pm (April 12, 2007)

Thank you for expressing interest. More information is available at toronto.ca/streetfurniture.