Council orders more graffiti

By Kat Topinka

After seven years of success and some 50 murals created across the city, Ottawa’s youth graffiti program, Paint It Up! was unanimously approved for continuation in 2017 earlier this month at city hall, and is now accepting applications for new projects.

The program was developed in 2010 as part of a joint effort by Crime Prevention Ottawa and the City of Ottawa’s public works branch, with the aim of reducing graffiti vandalism by funding the painting of community murals in areas where businesses and homes are plagued by tagging.

Paint It Up! has a total of $50,000 per year that is distributed in smaller grants to community agencies who partner with youth to create what the organization calls a “youth empowerment graffiti mural.”

According to Nancy Worsfold, executive director at Crime Prevention Ottawa, the program is focused on engaging at-risk youth in a positive and preventative approach to crime management.

“What we want agencies to think about when they’re developing their funding applications and projects is that a really important piece of the project is engaging youth at risk,” said Worsfold. “And we’re particularly wanting agencies to target those most at risk, and particularly young people who are taggers, to engage them in pro-social positive outlets for their artistic tendencies.”

The murals serve a dual purpose, said Worsfold: not only are youth now beautifying, rather than defacing, the community with their art when they get involved with the program, but they are also actively preventing other taggers from vandalizing that space.

“What we have found is that with almost 100 per cent of the projects is once the mural is up, the tagging is over,” she said.

While it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the program at reducing vandalism in the wider community, Ottawa police officer Matthew Hunt has confirmed that only two of the 59 Paint It Up! murals have ever been tagged.

Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney said she has “absolutely” noticed a difference in the prevalence of vandalism since the inception of the program.

Centretown, which had the second-highest incidence of graffiti in 2016, has gained several Paint It Up! murals, including a series of brightly coloured pillars on Cooper Street and animal-themed art on the corrugated metal of a Gladstone Avenue store.

“When it started, especially businesses and some residents were really concerned about graffiti and what was happening in their neighbourhoods with a lot of tagging,” said McKenney. “Over the years the tagging has reduced, and it has been shown clearly that having graffiti done by other street artists helps to reduce the incidences of tagging.”

McKenney said although the residents have come to enjoy the artwork, more than anything, they’re grateful for the reduced vandalism.

“It can be so difficult for storeowners and homeowners when they are constantly having to clean up tagging. This certainly assists in reducing cost for a lot of the businesses, and it just makes the whole area look better,” she said.

McKenney said she’s looking forward to seeing more Paint It Up! Murals around Centretown in the upcoming year, perhaps along the main streets in Chinatown or along Preston.

Those interested in participating in the program must submit their applications for the program by 4 p.m. on April 4.