If Toronto city fathers get their way, marketers may have fewer outlets in which to utilize outdoor advertising as a marketing tool. Local legislators say they believe the amount of advertising on
Toronto streets should be reduced, and have taken steps to further this goal. They are in the process of choosing a company for a 20-year, $400 million contract to supply the city with bus shelters,
garbage cans and other "street furniture" items, including city benches, newspaper boxes, poster kiosks, public washrooms and possibly bicycle racks for city streets. The company who gets the
contract will then have the right to sell ads on the equipment. But legislators have now insisted that "functionality and beauty considerations" should drive the decision on who gets the contract,
ahead of advertising concerns. Critics say it's a mistake to let one company provide all the equipment and also handle advertising sales because advertisers will then dictate the design and placement
of public amenities. "This plan is total insanity," Rami Tabello, a member of the Toronto Public Space Committee, told lawmakers. "This plan will privatize our sidewalks for 20 years." However,
proponents say it's a good idea because having a single contract will allow for a unified design across the city. Architect Jack Diamond, said the city's streets under current policy "have a clutter
of diversely ugly elements."
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