STREET POSTERING IS about Freedom of Speech for the Poor.
A young man posting flyers to promote his band was arrested and charged with illegally posting flyers. Found guilty in the lowest court he took the issue to the Supreme Court of Canada which decided that street postering is freedom of speech for those unable to pay others to speak for them. Street postering is Freedom of Speech for the poor. If we can afford to pay someone to speak for us we don’t have the right to post flyers. That decision is called THE RAMSDEN DECISION: Ramsden v. Peterborough (City) https://decisions.scc-csc.ca/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1038/index.do
The Supreme Court of Canada protects Street Postering as Freedom Of Speech for people without access to mainstream media (Hired services, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, the web…). People with access to mainstream media do not have the right to use street posters.
As a result of this decision the City of Toronto allows street postering as Freedom of speech for the poor. The City of Toronto’s Street Poster Bylaws can be found here: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/1184_693.pdf . The City of Toronto’s Poster Bylaws are eminently fair. The problem is they are not being enforced: Despite § 693-5.2A(15) and (16) (poster and community poster location requirements), a poster or community poster may be placed on a kiosk and a community poster may be placed on public utility pole located on a boulevard if the poster or the community poster complies with the following requirements: (1) No more than 22 centimetres by 28 centimetres in size; (8.5 a 11 inches). Posters larger than this are not legal. The reason for this is to allow as many people as possible use what is a limited space. All posters must have info on them stating who is responsible for them. Anonymous posters are illegal. Only one poster of basically the subject is allowed on a kiosk. Again fairness is the issue. Covering and destroying the work of others is illegal. Removing multi-copies of the same poster is permissible, removing over size posters is permissible according City Bylaw officers. D. Poster definitions – Article 5 COMMUNITY POSTER – A poster identifying missing persons, pets or items, or promoting citizen participation in religious, civic, charitable, or non-profit activities such as advertising festivals, community events, local artistic and cultural events, local community services, or advancing a point of view and is not for a commercial purpose.
For more info contact Reg Hartt @ THE CINEFORUM/THE PUBLIC ENEMY 463 Bathurst, Toronto, Ca., M5T 2S9. 416-603-6643. https://reghartt.ca/cineforum/ reghartt@gmail.com
Reg Hartt has been using street posters to promote his art since the 1960s.No one better understands the importance of street postering as what Jane Jacobs called “the newspaper of the street.” Jane Jacobs met Reg Hartt in 1968 through a street poster she saw for his art. They became friends for life.
Reg Hartt has been called, “Everything Jane Jacobs wrote about in THE DEATH AND LIFE OF GREAT AMERICAN CITIES.” That is high praise.
« MERRY-GO-ROUND (1923) From Flicker Alley Buyer Neware: AISEESOFT VIDEO ENHANCER »