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Graffiti removal crews take councillor to work

(Photo supplied by RMWB)

(Photo Supplied by RMWB)

A councillor who wants to rid the streets of graffiti got a close look at what the city is doing to clean up the mess.

Tyran Ault toured Fort McMurray with the RMWB’s Parks department, which is responsible for cleaning up or painting over the vandalism on all municipal property.

“In the last year or two it’s been phenomenal,” says Manager of Parks Nina Caine. “It’s tripled, but we’re finding that there’s only four or five tags out there.”

Today, Caine’s crew completely suited up to apply the chemical solution to several properties. Some of the tags are so large that workers sometimes just paint over them. Caine says it’s a temporary fix for the RMWB, but a fresh palette for those who start tagging the spot just days later.

Ault introduced a motion to  council to create a graffiti bylaw, which could include restricting businesses from selling spray cans to minors. He also wants stricter laws to help catch taggers.

“A slap on a wrist isn’t a deterrent to these guys. They’re criminals as far as I’m concerned, vandals, and I think we need to have some stiffer penalties. And maybe get them to see what the effort is in terms of cleaning this up [to] hopefully change their perspective,” says Ault.

The Parks department doesn’t work during the winter, but it will be asking council for $50,000 in its next budget to purchase a van that will help with removing graffiti during the cold weather. The Parks crew is also helping police by taking pictures of the vandalism and submitted the photos as evidence.

On April 11, Wood Buffalo RCMP arrested 20-year-old Mitchell Krevenchuck during a graffiti investigation. Police say he admitted to tagging more than 100 properties around Fort McMurray. He was charged with four counts of mischief under $5000. Investigators say he was caught about a month later writing on a wall inside the Boomtown Casino.