A Living Wage is the hourly wage one requires to cover their basic living expenses. The Living Wage is calculated based on a two-parent family with two children. This differs from the minimum wage determined in each region which Is the lowest wage rate an employer can pay an employee. 

This week is Living Wage Week and we will be seeing an updated calculation for the first time in two years! Goodbye Graffiti believes that a Living Wage is important for both our employees and the economy. 

Our team continues to grow and we are currently looking to hire a Graffiti Removal Technician at our Toronto West office. If you are interested in a position that allows you to work independently outdoors, while making a difference in your community, please submit your resume to torontowest@goodbyegraffiti.com. Only applicants with a G-Class Licence and clean driving record will be considered. 

Let’s face it, the days of summer are counting down and the time we have left with warm, sunny weather is limited. 

Before you get to checking off your summer bucket list, have you considered what Fall maintenance your property may need? We’ve put together 5 points to check in on while we have some warm weather left!

1. Do a full inspection of your property to see if there is any chipped paint or areas that require a fresh coat. Exterior painting in the peak of summer heat is less than ideal. Use this time to refresh the look of your property!
2. Consider power washing – it may be your last chance to clean your patios, driveways and entrances. The exterior of your property may also be in need of a cleaning.
3. Protect your important assets with an anti-graffiti coating. This is a great option for heritage buildings, monuments and high-value surfaces.
4. Does your property require window or glass repair? Have one of our technicians assess your site to schedule our glass repair services before the winter months! 
5. Enroll in a graffiti maintenance program while hiring your fall and winter contractors. Many Canadian snowbirds are unable to make regular visits to their properties while away for the winter months. Be sure that your property is regularly patrolled and graffiti-free with our Ever-Clean program.

For more information about our services and how you can get your property Fall and Winter ready, call 1-877-684-4747 or submit a request for a free estimate. 

Phyllis Webstad had attended St. Joseph Mission, a Residential School in Williams Lake, British Columbia from 1973-1974. Phyllis’ grandmother had gifted her an orange shirt for her first day at the school. Upon arrival, Phyllis was stripped of her belongings and she had never seen the shirt again.

Today, we wear orange to promote awareness surrounding the Residential School System in Canada and the transgenerational trauma experienced by the Indigenous community. Approximately 150,000 Indigenous children had attended these schools. The Residential Schools were created with the intention of separating the children from their cultures and traditions. Late last month, 215 unmarked graves had been discovered at a Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia. This devastating number continues to grow to over 1,000 as further investigations into the schools continue.

In support of the Indigenous community and the Residential School Survivors, Goodbye Graffiti locations across Canada will be donating a percentage of their sales for the month of June.

StreetART (StART) Toronto is a program aimed to showcase local artists while deterring graffiti vandalism. StART was initiated in 2012 as a part of the city’s Graffiti Management Plan. The program has produced over 1000+ street art works across the city. The art can be seen on smaller items like Toronto traffic boxes as well as some of the city’s high-rise buildings. StART provides workshops where artists can strengthen their skills, engage with their communities as well as receive access to resources aiding in mental health.

Goodbye Graffiti has worked closely with the StART team to prepare traffic boxes as well as power washing city buildings in preparation for mural application. Completed murals can also be protected by anti-graffiti coating so as to ease the removal of future vandalism while protecting the substrate. Our “zero-impact” process is non-destructive, environmentally friendly and inexpensive. Our GP1000 coating is fully reversible and can protect art for 3-5 years!

Most recently, the StreetART team has commissioned a number of local mural artists to showcase their creativity while showing the city’s gratitude to the Frontline Workers during the pandemic. These murals can be seen across the city and can be easily located using StreetArt Toronto’s – The Map on streetarttoronto.ca. Natalie Very B (@natalieveryb) is a StreetArt commissioned artist, whose mural ‘Stronger Together’ can be seen here, discusses what this mural means to her.

“[Stronger Together] depicts eight distinct groups of frontline heroes, each represented by one character: farmers, librarians, musicians, laboratory staff, telehealth workers, doctors, visual artists and food delivery services; strong, courageous and smiling.

The mural is meant to be an artistic expression of lasting gratitude to remind people that we can always find strength in the community even in the toughest of times. More importantly, it will serve in remembrance of the global pandemic”.

The City of Toronto will continue to commission artists throughout the 2021 summer to pay tribute to the city’s essential workers and their crucial contribution to our communities.

The Goodbye Graffiti™ Franchise Association in conjunction with Goodbye Graffiti™ Inc. has decided to donate a percentage of sales to local food banks in the communities where our businesses reside.  We are grateful to our communities for the support we have received over the last 25 years, but in particular, over the last year as we have struggled together through the global pandemic.  We know this year has been so difficult for so many and that the holiday season will look very different this year.  We are honoured to do our part to serve our communities

 The beneficiaries will include; The Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Surrey Food Bank, The Mustard Seed Street Church, Calgary Food Bank, Edmonton Food Bank,Daily Bread Toronto, Ottawa Foodbank, and London Food Bank.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for a free estimate for graffiti removal, power washing, Scratchiti™, and Etchiti™ removal, GraffWraps™.  This is the perfect time to give your building a fresh look right before the busy holiday season while giving back to your community.