City of Toronto seeks input on proposed regulations for electronic and illuminated signs

City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:

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News Release:  January 23, 2014 

City of Toronto seeks input on proposed regulations for electronic and illuminated signs

The City of Toronto is holding a series of public consultation sessions from February 3 to 12 to gather public input on proposed changes to regulations for electronic and illuminated signs and billboards.

In 2013, the City of Toronto initiated a comprehensive research project that included a planning and design review, an update of traffic safety implications and a poll to assess public opinion in Toronto on electronic and illuminated signs.

Based on the study findings, changes to Toronto's sign regulations with respect to the location, size, and brightness of electronic and illuminated signs have been proposed, and were introduced at the December 4 meeting of the City's Planning and Growth Management Committee.

The staff report and background material are available at http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.PG29.4

Public consultation is an essential element of this process. All Toronto residents and businesses are encouraged to participate and provide the City with feedback about this important issue. Members of the public are invited to attend one of the workshops for a brief presentation and to speak with City staff to share thoughts and ideas on this subject.

Public consultation sessions will be held from 6:30 to 8:30p.m. on the following dates and include a staff presentation at 7 p.m.:

-Monday, February 3: Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall, Council Chamber -Tuesday, February 4: York Civic Centre, 2700 Eglinton Ave. W., Council Chamber

-Wednesday, February 5: City Hall, 100 Queen St. W., Council Chamber 

-Monday, February 10: East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave., Council Chamber           

-Tuesday, February 11: North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge St., Council Chamber            

-Wednesday, February 12: Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Dr., Committee Rooms 1 and 2

For those unable to attend in person, comments can also be emailed to the City at signbylawunit@toronto.ca. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/signbylawunit.

 Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

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Media contact: Bruce Hawkins, Strategic Communications, 416-392-3496, bhawkin@toronto.ca