Downtown business owners fuming after the city confiscated their sandwich-board signs won't be getting the placards back without opening their wallets.
London's Bylaw Enforcement Manager Orest Katolyk says the city will not waive the $175 fine for businesses that saw their sidewalk signage removed during a blitz on Monday and Tuesday.
"We feel we have provided adequate information, face-to-face information, and it was very clearly spelled out that enforcement actions could occur in the future if you did not comply," says Katolyk. "It's not like we went out there cold and did this without any prior knowledge."
Enforcement officers traveled business-to-business in the spring to provide owners with an information package relating to the signs. Included in the package was an application for a free license to place the sandwich-boards on city property and size and placement restrictions. Businesses are also required to get insurance for the signage.
Katolyk says those who choose not to comply after receiving the information packages left the city no choice but to take action.
"The way we do bylaw enforcement in the city is three-pronged - education, voluntary compliance, and enforcement actions," says Katolyk. "Those actions are necessary because if we never took actions on any bylaws that city council passes it wouldn't be fair to the businesses and citizens that comply to the bylaws. It's not fair to the general population who expect some sort of enforcement for non-compliance."
Katolyk adds that there were a lot of store owners who did comply with the rules.
Bylaw officers seized 49 sandwich-board signs over the two-day blitz held on Monday and Tuesday.
Many businesses use the small signs to drive walk-in traffic into their stores. City regulations for the signs came into force in 1991. The bylaw was meant to keep sidewalks clear for those with mobility issues who rely on wheelchairs and walkers.
