Graffiti Removal

The Heart of Orléans BIA has an overall goal to keep our district safe, clean, and a place to be proud of.
To that end, we decided, in 2020, to run a pilot with the City of Ottawa to monitor and remove any graffiti in our BIA district. This was based, in part, on their definition of graffiti: “the etching, painting, or placing of a mark on public or private property.” When graffiti is placed on public or private property without permission, it’s considered vandalism.
In working with them, our requirements were to:

• Remove graffiti as quickly as possible
• Receive monthly reporting that captures the dates our BIA was monitored as well as before and after pictures of any graffiti removed
• Support our small businesses by providing appropriate tools and resources to report any graffiti
• Adopt best practices and research-based solutions

The BIA is working with Stéphane Leger, who – by happy coincidence – happens to be an Orléans resident and is a City Of Ottawa employee with the Special Operations Unit Graffiti Eradication Program. Each month, he provides the BIA with a report showing any graffiti found. In addition to regularly monitoring our district, he also responds to emergency calls.
Thankfully, the Heart of Orléans doesn’t see a lot of graffiti but when something is tagged, Stéphane is extremely responsive. For example, at approximately 11:00 PM one night, staff at the Heart of Orléans BIA received a call about some hate graffiti in our BIA. When it was reported to Stephane, the graffiti was removed within an hour.
It’s not just a job for Stéphane. He takes great pride in keeping the area graffiti-free. “I am proud of doing something for my community,” he says.
Heart of Orléans BIA Executive Director Tannis Vine adds, “We are extremely grateful to have a local Orléanean taking such good care of our BIA.”
After a successful pilot, the BIA continues to partner with the city to keep the Heart of Orléans a clean, safe place to live, work and play!