Canadian graffiti crackdown risks criminalizing a form of artistic expression

The absurdity of efforts to clean up graffiti was highlighted in Toronto this week where an artist discovered a mural the city paid him $2,000 to create was wiped away, due to a perceived affront to the prime minister.

Joel Richardson's latest work was commissioned to brighten up the wall of a west-end downtown railway underpass.

The project, which he began last September following positive neighbourhood reaction to a similar previous work, was three-quarters complete when the space was returned to drab grey and white.

The fact the mural involved a mathematic equation that incorporated grim businessmen, whose faces sort of resembled Stephen Harper, was cited by a spokeswoman as a contributing factor to the decision.

Records also didn't show it had been approved by outgoing city Coun. Adam Giambrone. Graffiti has been a target of Mayor Rob Ford since he was elected last October.

Meanwhile, the artist explained to the Toronto Star the faces had nothing to do with the prime minister, since his friend was the model for the businessmen, presented as part of a statement against "freewheeling capitalism."

The publicity surrounding the paint-over job should draw more attention to the national debate about whether unsolicited graffiti can be an acceptable form of public art.

A new audit which found 438 unsightly tags in downtown Edmonton has given the city ammunition needed to allocate resources. The study also allowed the city to force one tagger to shell out $6,000 for the city to clean up his handiwork.

Graffiti is not illegal in Edmonton, only its placement, as the city provided a wall for it between the Churchill and Stadium LRT stations. Still, police wonder if that space has only encouraged vandals.

Spray paint displays have also raised recent concern in Fredericton, where a city councilllor has called for a crackdown, although that has been viewed as a waste of police resources.

The city has experimented with blank billboards, since New Brunswick youth have shown they want to express themselves through this medium, which could be a consequence of a smaller culture industry.

Given what happened to the painter invited to make a statement on a public wall, such creativity may not be as valued in Toronto as it was before, either.

(Edmonton: CBC Photo)