'Disgusting' to merchant: Montrealers must live with graffiti

A Montreal merchant has issued a heartfelt outcry on social media after his business was attacked with graffiti. If he shows creativity in getting rid of it, many other businesses are struggling with this scourge that is not about to dry up in Montreal.

“I told myself I would turn this to my advantage. I was no worse at drawing in elementary school, so I told myself I could do it,” said Christian Cousineau, owner of Fruiterie du Plateau, located on Laurier Street East, near Plateau-Mont-Royal.

After discovering graffiti on his umbrella in early June, Mr. Cousineau went to a store and bought brushes and paint.

Amanda Moisan / QMI Agency

“I was discovering myself and I couldn’t be worse!” he said. “I mixed colors without really knowing what I was doing.”

QMI was able to capture part of the transformation of the painting.

Amanda Moisan / QMI Agency

Even if he decided to turn this incident into an opportunity to showcase his talents, the sixty-year-old does not hide his frustration with the situation.

“In an abandoned building, I seemed to understand, but in a working company, I was angry,” he recalls.

There is still a lot of graffiti.

However, the case of the Fruiterie du Plateau is not exceptional; many businesses and buildings have to deal with this counterweight to the street art for which Montreal is famous.

In fact, summer is the peak time of year for companies called upon to remove graffiti in Greater Montreal.

“We have a lot of work year after year, it never stops. There are several units on the road every day,” said John Kirst, a graffiti removal technician with Solutions Graffiti, which works in and around the city.

See also  Crop power blends

Amanda Moisan / QMI Agency

The latter even states that graffiti removed in the morning can be re-painted later that same day in the same place. Their work “never stops.”

According to figures obtained by QMI, there has been an increase in reports of graffiti following the pandemic in Montreal.

However, we have noticed a slight decrease since last year, while the city of Montreal received 3,814 reports in 2022, then 3,350 in 2023. So far in 2024, 1,678 reports have been recorded.

viral video

Mr Cousineau shared the incident on TikTok. The video, in which he explains that vandals attacked his umbrella, has now had more than 291,000 views.

“I never thought it would cause such a reaction, although I was afraid people would argue with me,” he recalls.

“I asked people to help me find a solution, and people had good solutions, but it's an aerosol, so it doesn't take off. I told myself I'd start the work myself, and if it's ugly, I'd ask an artist.”