Junction poles wrapped in ‘anti-poster’ material
City, BIA project aims to deter vandalism, save on street cleaning costs
Almost 100 light poles in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood have been covered in acrylic wrapping as part of a beautification project to prevent vandalism.
The wrapped poles run along Dundas Street West, from Quebec Street to Indian Grove on either side of Keele Street and are a result of a partnership between the City of Toronto and the neighbourhood’s business improvement area (BIA).
The Junction BIA told the Star that the pole-wrapping started in 2020 as a way to restore the look of the neighbourhood, deter vandalism and save on street cleaning costs in the long-term.
“We wrapped 95 light poles with a patented anti-poster, anti-glue material, giving them a long-lasting, sleek and clean finish,” said Carol Jolly, executive director at the Junction BIA.
The city said this project was also an opportunity for the neighbourhood to brand themselves with the design of the wrap.
“The wraps were printed with our signature train smoke design, featuring the whimsical element of the Junction branding,” Jolly added.
The Junction BIA and the city had an initial budget of $80,000 for the project, but ended up spending a combined total of a little over $60,000.
The city allocated $26,477 to the initiative through their capital cost-share program which offers incentives to improve neighbourhood streetscapes. This included costs for 77 of the poles.
The Junction BIA funded the rest, providing $34,241 to wrap a total of 95 poles in the area.
In total, $60,718 was spent on the initiative with the average cost of each pole around $639, the BIA said.
The city says there are currently no other plans to wrap more poles, however said that in the last few years the preventative measure has been adopted by other neighbourhoods, like Riverside and Midtown.