Business told to remove Drake mural deemed 'graffiti' in city letter
Lauren Pelley | CBC News | Posted: November 18, 2016 10:03 PM | Last Updated: November 18, 2016
After sending letter calling commissioned artwork 'graffiti vandalism,' city now says it's fine
A pair of business partners who wanted to bring some Hotline Bling to their west-end neighbourhood are questioning why a city letter deemed their new Drake mural "graffiti vandalism."
Patrick Fay and Craig Small recently commissioned a Toronto artist to paint a mural on the Croft Street house they bought this fall for their animation, design and visual effects company, The Juggernaut.
Over the weekend, artist Kestin Cornwall started painting the side of the 1860's coach house with a portrait of Drake, the Toronto rapper, facing the CN Tower. Then, on Wednesday, Fay and Small received a "graffiti advisory" letter from the city.
"Please be advised that on November 14, 2016 the City was made aware that your property has graffiti vandalism and is in violation of Toronto Municipal Code," the letter read.
On Friday, after being contacted by CBC Toronto, the city sent someone to take a look and a spokesperson said the mural is "fine."
"The letter that the business owners received was just to advise them that someone had complained that there was graffiti," Tammy Robbinson, from the city's Municipal Licensing & Standards division, said in an email. "When the City receives a complaint, the letter is automatically sent to the address rather than sending out an officer each time."
Fay said the city shouldn't be sending out "blanket letters... sight unseen."
For the city to just blindly shut down a piece of art on a street that's deemed kind of an art-alleyway, that's just bizarre. - Patrick Fay, business owner
"For the city to just blindly shut down a piece of art on a street that's deemed kind of an art-alleyway, that's just bizarre," he said.
The letter also stated that the property owners would be required to remove all "graffiti" from the property. If the business partners didn't comply by November 28, according to the letter, they could be subject to "an inspection and issuance of a Notice of Violation, pursuant to the applicable law."
"My business partner and I were scratching our heads — because that's the reason we bought into this community, to add a little art, a little spice," said Fay, referring to the art-heavy street that runs north and south near Bathurst Street and College Street.
Cornwall, who worked "non-stop" over the weekend to create the larger-than-life painting, said he was "shocked" by the letter. "I think art deters negative graffiti," he said.
Street art is something the city has been pushing through StreetARToronto (StART), a program that aims to add character to Toronto's communities and counteract the negative effects of graffiti vandalism.
Lilie Zendel, the program's manager, said street art is a phenomenal way to bring neighbourhoods together.
"I think at one point [street art] was looked at as being marginal and not a really legitimate art form, and now I think it's legitimacy has been established," she said. "And in a city with a lot of cement and grey buildings — we needed colour."
So who complained to the city about the vibrant Drake mural?
"Maybe it was someone with too much time on their hands?" said Fay. "We don't have an answer."