The amount of graffiti in Orillia through 2024 has tripled over last year’s numbers, though city staff say occurrences have declined overall since 2017.
In a November report to the Couchiching OPP Detachment Board, 122 graffiti occurrences were reported through the first three quarters of 2024, compared to 41 instances in 2023 and 93 instances in 2022 over the same time span.
Since 2017, staff say they have reported graffiti occurrences to the OPP to assist with “identifying problem areas, creating an inventory of recurring ‘tags’ being found around the city and to assist with charges being laid should offenders be caught,” said Jeff Rogers, manager of bylaw enforcement services.
“Since 2017, we have seen fluctuations in the amount of graffiti in the community each year, but have seen an overall decrease in the amount of graffiti across the city,” Rogers said.
Orillia OPP said it has received 125 reports for graffiti occurrences in the past three years, and has laid 14 charges against 11 individuals — ranging in age from 13 to 69 — for graffiti-related offences.
“They’re actually all from the Orillia area, so they’re local individuals, so it’s not like we have an influx of people coming in from Toronto, tagging up our businesses,” said Robert Flindall, acting detachment commander with Orillia OPP.
He said that while the OPP conducts “as much of a patrol as we can within our municipalities,” tackling graffiti is a “shared responsibility” between the police and the public.
“The police presence does have an effect on reducing the amount of graffiti and crime, but it’s going to take the entire community to come together and to tackle the issue, so we need everyone that’s involved, whether from minor tagging to significant tagging, first and foremost, to contact police and report it to us,” he said.
“We also have a look at the tag itself to find out if there’s potential gang-related activity responsible for the tagging, as well.”
On the city’s end, the anti-graffiti bylaw helps address graffiti and maintain community standards, Rogers said.
“This includes ensuring prompt removal of graffiti to discourage recurrence, and reporting graffiti occurrences to the police to support enforcement efforts and collaborating with the OPP to identify trends, problem areas, and recurring tags,” he said.
If the public observes someone putting graffiti on someone’s property, Rogers encourages residents to call the OPP non-emergency line at 1-888-310-1122 to report, or to contact city bylaw at [email protected] or 705-325-2313 “so city staff can follow up with a property owner to have it removed.”
