YELLOWKNIFE - City council discussed postering at a Priorities, Policies, and Budget Committee meeting Monday, and some councillors showed support for those who rely on postering as a method of advertising.

There are four three-sided postering boards in Yellowknife such as this one. City council is - looking at options to give posterers more space. Laura Power/NNSL photo

"It's something we have to value and encourage... that's a signal of how vibrant and alive our community is," said Coun. Kevin Kennedy, who said he believes most of council is in agreement with his take on the matter.

A few weeks ago, bylaw officers began taking down posters which had been placed on poles and other areas which are not designated for postering. This concerned a number of people who use postering as a way to advertise upcoming events, particularly the arts community.

"Posters are really, really important to the non-government and voluntary sectors," said Coun. Lydia Bardak.

While some support has been pledged by councillors, the littering problem and the issue of damaged poles remains unsolved.

"I think the issue is more how do we prevent littering than how do we prevent (postering)," said Bardak.

Several ideas such as the addition of new postering boards, or kiosks, to the city's streets have been suggested. Bardak suggested that one panel in bus shelters could be used for postering.

Kennedy said he expects a solution to be met by the fall, but said that council still needs to figure out how to enforce the bylaw in the meantime. He said there will likely be some public confusion about the matter and that he doesn't feel municipal enforcement should "crack down" on this particular bylaw.

Coun. David Wind, however, believes that all bylaws should be enforced equally. He said he believes that if council tells administration to choose which bylaws to enforce and which ones not to, "it sends a very confusing signal first to our administration and second to the residents of the city."

The city will be looking at the bylaw and determining how it can be changed in a way that accommodates posterers but still protects poles from damage.

Until a possible change is made to the bylaw, Kennedy said that if people don't need to put posters on poles, they shouldn't, because it costs the city money.