Graffiti removal cost the City of Regina in 2020

A wall of graffiti is pictured in Regina on July 20, 2021. (Andrew Benson/CTV News)

REGINA -

Last year brought a number of challenges for the City of Regina, and that included keeping graffiti under control.

In 2020, the city saw a major increase in graffiti and the cost of cleaning it up, spending a total of $137,000 on removal.

“(It) was one of our highest years ever,” said Brent Krahenbil, manager of facilities maintenance for the City of Regina. “We are hoping it was a one time anomaly.”

Graffiti cleanup for 2021 is well underway, and the numbers are looking far more normal than last year.

“This year we are on track for a normal amount of graffiti removal,” said Krahenbil. “Our first six months we spent $44,000 on graffiti removal, which would theoretically put us at $88,000 for the year and that is very close to our average.”

Krahenbil said there has not been any difference in specific areas of the city or types of graffiti seeing an increase.

The city aims to remove graffiti within 72 hours, or within 24 hours for inappropriate and hateful cases.

“We know that graffiti promotes graffiti,” said Krahenbil. “So, for business owners or private citizens, if you have graffiti please remove it or cover it up. If it is on city property, call us and we will clean it up. The best way to control it is to keep it removed.”

Residents can report any graffiti to the City of Regina at [phone].