Gov't & Regulatory Affairs

Turn out the lights: Government should walk away from ban on incandescent bulbs

The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation, but apparently they have all kinds of business in every other room in our house.

If you are not aware, you have just one year left to buy real light bulbs before it becomes illegal to trade in Thomas Edison’s greatest-ever invention.

Starting next January, 75- and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs will become black market items, and by the end of 2014 the same will happen to 40- and 60-watt versions.

It’s all for the environment, though, so I’m sure it is a good thing.

The change was announced in 2007 by then-environment minister John Baird.

“Greenhouse gases are rising. The climate is changing. Winter is disappearing as we know it,” Baird said at the time.

Funny thing, as I write this, there is about four feet of snow atop my Ottawa roof and the temperature outside this morning was -25 C. Winter is not disappearing, scientists are increasingly questioning the official story on climate change and what exactly should be done and Canada has withdrawn from Kyoto. But Baird’s bulb ban remains.

The government claims the bulb ban is technology neutral, but the net effect is the light bulbs we have used for generations and once produced here in Canada, or in the United States, will now be replaced with compact fluorescents and LEDs from China.

Forget for a moment the “carbon footprint” caused by shipping all of our light bulbs in from China and consider whether this really is the best move. First there are the concerns about how the light looks.

As a man, this was never something that I thought of — light is light — but shortly after this ban was announced, I started hearing from women who will swear that fluorescents and LEDs produce a colder light, a less flattering light.

“I don’t like reading by the cadaver light or looking like a lizard in bed,” a friend e-mailed me recently.

The environmentalists would dismiss that as a vanity concern and nothing we should endanger the planet over, but what about our health concerns? I’ve had several CFL bulbs break in my house, including one that melted in the socket in my children’s playroom.

Have you seen the instructions on how they must be cleaned? Here are some of the steps recommended by Health Canada:

n Remove people and pets from the room and keep them out of the room during the cleanup process.

n Ventilate the room for at least 15 minutes prior to starting cleanup by opening windows and doors to the outdoors.

n Do not use a vacuum to clean up the initial breakage, as it will spread the mercury vapour and dust throughout the area and may contaminate the vacuum.

n Place the broken glass and cleanup materials in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid to further minimize the release of mercury vapour.

Ventilate for 15 minutes? Don’t vacuum? Seal materials? It’s a wonder they don’t tell us to call in a HazMat team with their white suits!

The decision to ban incandescent bulbs was a political attempt to make it look like the Harper government was acting to fulfil our Kyoto commitments. We walked away from Kyoto and we should walk away from the ban as well.

Of course, that would have environmentalists screaming blue murder but then again, they dismissed the move as insignificant when Baird announced it six years ago.

INCREASED PERMIT FEES - Ministry of Transportation Ontario

Please note that we have received word that the MTO permit fees have increased.

New fees as of Oct 1 2012:

Permit Type                  Fees                          Frequency of Renewals        

Location Sign            $23.00/m²                               One time fee
 

All cheques to be issued to "Minister of Finance"

Credit cards are acceptable at most area offices

Related File Downloads

oct_2012_mto_fees.pdf

London - Improving Permit Services

The Ontario Chapter of the Sign Association of Canada has begun working with the City of London to help reduce the number of returned sign permit applications.  In conversations with the City, we addressed a few areas of concern and requested that the City examine its procedures and that we would speak to our members with respect to completion of applications for submissions.

To that end, the City has endeavoured to improve its level of service and has appointed Lou Pompilli as the new manager for Zoning and Signs Team.

Initial feed back since these endeavours began in March is that there are less and less sign permit applications being sent back to the applicants.  This reduction in volume is a significant step in the right direction.

The Sign Association of Canada would like to re-enforce the need to ensure that signage details are accurate and that all required information is included on the drawings and within the application for a permit.  To assist, the City has provided two links to checklists they have provided to assist with this.

Our goal is to reduce the number of returned incomplete sign permit applications to 0.  We request that all members follow the checklists provided to ensure that their applications are complete.

http://www.london.ca/Construction_and_Building/PDFs/Signs_Ground.pdf

http://www.london.ca/Construction_and_Building/PDFs/Signs_Wall.pdf

Toronto - Permit guide, forms, Historical Database and 2012 fees

The forms and guide you are going to need in order to complete a sign permit at the City of Toronto can be downloaded below.

The Link on the City of Toronto's Web site for the Sign Bylaw Unit is: http://www.toronto.ca/signbylawunit/index.htm

 At the right, you will see a link to "Sign View".  When you click on this, you can access the City's cool software that allows you to enter the project address and see an image of the zoning around the site.  Clicking on the "I" for info and then the zone of the property will refresh the page and scrolling down below the map you will see a tab for sign bylaw regulations.  This will give you the specific regulations for the site.

The Link on the City of Toronto's Web site for Application forms and Guide is: www.toronto.ca Sign Permit Forms

The Link to the City of Toronto's Heritage Inventory Listing is: http://www.toronto.ca/heritage-preservation/heritage_properties_inventory.htm

NOTE: Under the separate division requirements, a sign permit and a building permit is now required. The building permit form must be completed and submitted along with the required fees.

If you need a sign variance, there are 3 levels to consider.

• Level 1) Payment of fee and review of the application for MINOR variance to the bylaw by the CBO and approval by the CBO.
• Level 2) If you want to appeal the decision of the CBO, then you need to complete the form and have your application pass before the Sign Variance Commitee. Additional fees are required. See "Sign Variance Committee Form" below.
• Level 3) If your proposal is not permitted at all in the sign bylaw, you may make an application for a Sign Bylaw Amendment. This creates a site specific amendment to a municipal address. An application, drawings and fees will be required. See "Sign Bylaw Amendment Application" below.

There are various special sign districts. Below are the maps to these districts.

Toronto Building Mandatory Electronic Sumissions

Starting November 7, 2011, the Sign Bylaw Unit will be moving to a fully electronic service.

All documnets including forms, reports, specificaitons, calculations and plans will be required to be submitted in electronic format.

This can be done in person via re-writable DVD, or
By email to: signbylawunit@toronto.ca

Permits will also be issued electronically.

Details can be found at:
http://www.toronto.ca/building/elec-submission-guidelines.htm

The official PDF notification is also attached.

First Party Sign Permits may qualify to be fast-tracked and issued in 2 business days.

The details of the program are as follows

• This new service is to be offered by the Toronto Sign Bylaw Unit effective February 7th, 2011
• This service will be available for First Party Sign Permit applications where:
  • There are a maximum of 3 signs and/or sign structures proposed;
  • All signs and/or sign structures included in the application must be designed by a professional architect or engineer and are stamped or sealed accordingly; and,
  • All Sign Permits as of Nov 2011 must be submitted via email. A non-password protected PDF is required for the application.
• The application can not be for a property or sign where approvals from any of the following would be required:
  • Ministry of Transportation;
  • Toronto and Region Conservation Authority;
  • Heritage Preservation Services;
  • General Manager of Transportation Services; or,
  • Tree Preservation Services, Parks Forestry and Recreation.
• The expected turnaround time for applications that qualify for this service will be 2 business days*

* After 2 business days, the permit will be issued, or a detailed notice describing all deficiencies will be issued. Once a deficiency notice has been issued, the permit will be processed at the discretion of the Sign Bylaw Unit staff. All other Sign Permit applications will have a target turnaround time of 10 business days.

Related File Downloads

SAC's Guide to City of Toronto Permits

Toronto's Permit Information Guide

2012 Toronto Permit Fee's

Sign Permit Application Form

Designers Form

Building Permit Form

Sign Variance application form

Gardiner Gateway Map

Spadina China Town Map

City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square Map

University Ave Parade Route Map

Yonge St BIA Map

Dundas Square Map