This year the Plateau borough of Montreal plans to ban all outdoor advertising. It's taking its cue from the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, which banned billboards five years ago.
Harold Simpkins, a teacher with Concordia University's Dept. of Marketing, thinks Sao Paulo suffered much more from visual pollution than does Montreal.
"There were so many billboards. The placement of them was unregulated as it is regulated in Montreal," said Simpkins.
As to whether banning billboards would have an effect on Montreal's economy, Simpkins is not sure.
"Billboards to their credit are the most efficient form of advertising," said Simpkins. "Maybe some local retailers, restaurants who use billboards to direct traffic to their outlets might be hurt, but would there be a major dent in the economy, I'm not so sure."
For the full interview, click the video player to the right.
