Redressing Google's Misleading Portrayal of Scarborough - by Councillor Michael Thompson, seconded by Mayor John Tory

They removed the photo from the signature image position, leaving only the map. They offered no apology for the slight. The appearance of an image of urban blight to represent Scarborough is symptomatic of the kind of geographic bigotry that has plagued the community for decades. Scarborough is not now, nor has it ever been, a community of broken houses and desolate places. It is one of the City's most dynamic and vibrant communities and one of the best places in Toronto to live. No place in the City better represents Toronto's motto of "diversity is our strength" than Scarborough. It is our most successful arrival City for immigrants, not from just one country or region, but from around the world. People come here from far and wide to live together, work together, celebrate together and thrive together. Its communities of new Canadians and old Canadians volunteer together and engage together to serve their neighbourhoods and the City at large. The association of a partially demolished building with Scarborough reinforces negative misperceptions of the community and damages local morale. It is essential for City Council to defend the dignity of Scarborough, and its other vibrant communities when they are unfairly depicted as places of decay.

2. City Council request the City Manager to engage the Photo Laureate of Toronto to develop a photographic project or contest in Scarborough that encourages the public to take, and submit their best photographs of Scarborough, its scenic places and its communities; to launch such a project in the Spring of 2020; and to display the final images at an exhibition at the Scarborough Civic Centre in the Fall of 2020.