Some graffiti is a different category entirely
Most tagging is a property problem. Graffiti that targets people — racist, antisemitic, homophobic or otherwise hateful material — is a community harm, and every hour it stays visible extends that harm to everyone who walks past. It gets a different playbook, and a different urgency.
The right sequence
- 1. Photograph it first — documentation matters precisely because it's coming down fast; police and (where relevant) community organizations will want the record
- 2. Report to police — hate-motivated vandalism is treated distinctly under Canadian law, and reports help agencies track patterns even when no suspect is found
- 3. Remove it the same day — this is the exception to every scheduling norm. Municipal bylaws often single out offensive material for accelerated timelines, but the real reason is simpler: nobody should pass it twice
How we handle these calls
Hate graffiti jumps our queue, full stop — flagged calls get same-day response across the Lower Mainland at no priority premium, and if you report hateful material on property that isn't yours through our Report Graffiti page, we contact the owner and expedite regardless of who pays. Where the surface is delicate — heritage brick, murals — we still move same-day with an interim measure (professional covering) if full careful removal needs a return visit. The message on the wall never gets a second morning.