Community beautification initiatives in the City of Selkirk, such as the removal of graffiti and abandoned shopping carts, play a crucial role in fostering civic pride and enhancing the quality of life for all residents. These efforts not only improve the visual appeal of the city but also promote a sense of belonging and safety.
Anti-Graffiti Program
The Anti-Graffiti Program is a free service provided to residents and businesses by the Crime Prevention Advisory Board and the City of Selkirk. You can call in and report graffiti on your property, or if the city notices it or someone else calls it in, the city will approach you. You must sign a waiver, and the waiver remains in effect as long as you own the property.
Graffiti removal is available free of charge year round, weather permitting. Since the summer months are busier there is a dedicated staff person that actively seeks out . City staff are always on the lookout for graffiti and aim to remove it as quickly as possible.
Purpose
To construct and maintain a safe and welcoming community atmosphere by:
- Free removal service – provide free pressure-washing, chemical spray, and/or painting services (paint must be supplied by owner) to encourage removal efforts in our community
- Education – the production and distribution of graffiti prevention brochures to all members of the community
- Community involvement – gaining city wide support from community businesses not to sell spray paint to minors
Goals and Objectives
- To encourage, create and maintain an atmosphere in our community that is safe and welcoming by providing free, effective graffiti removal from all private and public property
- To educate members of the community on effective graffiti prevention strategies, what to do when graffiti appears on their property, and the importance of prompt graffiti removal
- Instilling a sense of shared community pride by working together with business and homeowners to keep properties well maintained and free of graffiti
Types of Graffiti
Posters, stickers, markers, spray paint
Impact
If not immediately removed graffiti sends out a message that “nobody cares” about the area. It also causes our community to look unsafe, and creates an open invitation for more loitering, and other graffiti. Unfortunately, the presence of graffiti makes people concerned about their personal safety and can provide an area in which to commit other acts of violence and crime.
Prevention
- In order to prevent graffiti it is important to keep all areas clean and well maintained
- Increase lighting on your property and install motion detector lights where possible
- On your walls choose protective anti-graffiti coatings and use clinging vegetation or thick/thorny bushes to eliminate large writing surfaces
- Lastly, the installation of a fence is a very effective method of deterring graffiti taggers from your property
Report Graffiti
Submit a CitizenSupport ticket using the category “Graffiti”. City staff will then organize prompt and effective removal of the graffiti from the affected area.
Shopping Cart Collection
The City of Selkirk picks up shopping carts that are left on city property. The city does not collect carts or items on private property.
- Please contact CitizenSupport if you notice a shopping cart on city property. When reporting you will be asked to provide the location of the cart.