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$200 million in savings in two easy steps- Funding for Leaside rink takes centre ice
A makeover for our green spaces 
Public opinion sought on video advertising
Dangerous drivers curbed in Thornhill
Creating a better Vaughan for the future
Creating civic pride in Richmond Hill
Plant a tree — with the town’s help
Reflecting on the past, looking to the future
Difficult summer for North York residents
Tackling garbage and graffiti
Keep our town beautiful as the weather warms up
ARNIE WARNER Ward 2 Councillor
A SURE SIGN of spring and summer is the beauty of nature coming to life as trees bud and fill out with leaves, and flowers are planted and bloom in our yards. Another sure sign of spring is not at all beautiful. That is the blights that a few people inflict on our neighbourhood.
Illegal dumping, putting out garbage and yard waste on the wrong days and neglecting property are all sources of complaints and annoyance.
Perhaps the worst of the urban blights is the proliferation of graffiti on both public and private property often in the form of “tagging.” There are those who think graffiti is some form of art – but it is not art — it is destructive vandalism and it is illegal.
Our town, in cooperation with York Regional Police, has an antigraffiti program. When individuals are caught, they are charged; and if convicted, the courts will assess the costs of the clean-up of the graffiti against the offender. Most often those costs are borne by you and I. That’s right, the tax-paying public pays for cleaning up and removing graffiti from our public property such as park benches and planters, stop signs and traffic boxes.
And what about private property? The owners of the store or building are obliged to remove graffiti at their cost. Once again, the cost is passed on to the consumer, you and me.
If you have teenage children and they are purchasing cans of spray paint — ask them what they are doing with it. If you see individuals defacing anyone’s property, call the police, those individuals are committing a crime. And if anyone reading this article is responsible for damaging Town of Richmond Hill property, you will be caught and charged.
Please keep our town beautiful. We all have a role to play and our hard-earned money is better spent elsewhere.
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Reader Comments:
I live on Lebovic Drive in Richmond Hill and I love the area but many of neighbors smoke and many throw out their buds on the street some even throw them of our lawn as they walk past. Our neighbour often put out garbage and yard waste on the wrong days. The birds and animals get at it and makes a mess and garbage get blown all over the place on to our lawns. =(
It's so sad that people are so selfish and so irresponsible.