Yonge St. signage process is transparent, bureaucrat vows

By Jeffrey Todd –

Louise Marie has broken her silence. Now, this small business owner at Yonge and Wellesley has issued a challenge in the ongoing sign war.

“I dare the city to hit the whole street at once,” she declares. “I run a business and yet I’m an outlaw. Do all of them and there’ll be an uprising.”

Marie, the owner of Longhairs Salon at 580 Yonge St., is outraged by what she calls the city’s arbitrary enforcement of bylaw C 297-4, a law requiring a permit for signs. She withheld her name last month because she thought her attempt to get a permit may he affected. Marie can no longer afford the anonymity.

Nine months and thousands of dollars later, she says she has no idea what inspectors are looking for. She even hired an extra employee in May just to handle the paperwork.

“What would be helpful is with the paid rejection they tell you what you’re allowed,” she said. “You don’t have any idea, probably so you can pay to try again.” It is possible that Longhairs will be allowed one neon sign in the upstairs window of her store, but that small concession may not be worth the cost of the application.

Marie wishes there was more communication between the city and small businesses over permits. Many owners feel applying for a sign permit is a waste of time. Applications are expensive and frequently rejected without clear explanation. Marie says businesses are also defensive because of Municipal Officers ripping down signs.

Puja Uppal, manager of Appearances at 508 Yonge St., believes it’s become a cat and mouse game with the inspectors. They have no faith in the process.

“We’d rather pay a fine than get a permit,” Uppal said. “Everyone does it.”

Just down the street from her at Psychic Luna, one sign is chained to the wall.

Last month, Kyle Rae—councilor for the afflicted ward—insisted that applying for sign permits is the cost of doing business. He says the bylaw is meant to clean up the “derelict and illegal” signs that clutter Yonge St.

Elizabeth Glibbery, Manager of Licensing Enforcement for the city of Toronto, feels the bylaws couldn’t be clearer. Those without permits are simply breaking the law.

The forced removal by her officers is only done when all else fails. “I don’t know where the disconnect comes from here, but I know the officers are doing all they can to educate the businesses. “Ignorance is not an excuse,” Glibbery said. She doesn’t understand why people are upset over the removals. “We don’t do it in the middle of the night. It’s in broad day-light,” she said. “They’re just breaking the law.”

Glibbery insists her door is open to anyone in need of help and clarification. Despite this open-door policy, she claims only one owner has ever come in to see her. She says, after going over the laws and process, he left happy. Glibbery extends the same invitation to others having difficulty. She can be reached at 416-338-0880.

 But it may be too late for Marie. She says she two choices. She can pay a non-refundable $600 variance to try her luck again, or two, paste the 0.8 meter sign they’ve allotted her against the inside of her second floor window. Neither suits her needs. “All people will say is—what is that place?”