Some people see graffiti as urban art, but it's illegal, and if you're caught, it's expensive.
In a rare move, Calgary's bylaw department wants to lower the fines for graffiti, but that idea doesn't fly with everyone.
The fine for tagging a site with graffiti is steep in Calgary. Anyone caught gets a ticket for $5,000. Repeat offenders could face $10,000 in fines
A person could go to court and try to get that reduced, but the lowest it could go is $2,500 because that's the minimum fine for graffiti in Calgary, and that makes it the highest penalty of its kind in Canada.
Calgary's bylaw boss, Bill Bruce, says right now almost everyone fights graffiti tickets in court, and with fines so high, courts are hesitant to convict. Bruce wants to drop the ticket to a maximum of $1,500, and the minimum fine to $500.
"I just don't think there will be a big difference in deterrent value, but there will be a much stronger and speedier resolution in court on conviction," said Bruce.
Ward 8 Alderman, John Mar, says lowering graffiti fines is exactly opposite of what he wants.
"If it was up to me alone, I would raise it," commented Mar.
Jas Sahota runs Calgary Graffiti Removal. Business is steady, and he's not sure the threat of fines makes any difference at all to people intent on putting their mark where it's not wanted.
"I think when it gets to the courts or lawyers, it might be too late already," said Sahota. "I think it's people caring about the city, you know, people taking care of their own things and respecting other people's property. I think that's what it comes down to."
On Wednesday, a council committee will decide if Calgary's graffiti fines will drop, and if so, by how much.
Vancouver's fine is a maximum of $2,000 and a minimum of $100.
Winnipeg has $1,000 ticket but no minimum penalty if the case ends up in court.
In Saskatoon and Toronto, people charged with graffiti offences have to make a mandatory court appearance with no minimum fine. The average fine in those court appearances is about $350.
