A spokesperson for Monsieur Labonté, the Ville-Marie borough mayor, has confirmed the following points:
- since the FFR sign is on private property, they will not intervene if the owners decide to remove it;
- new bylaws forbid ADM from putting up a new sign of this size or type in the future;
- consultations with the public took place a year-and-a-half ago relating to, among other things, the FFR sign, as part of Ville-Marie's contribution to the city's new urban development plan, and "no one" expressed any interest in its future; and,
- the borough has not heard from ADM or Smucker's recently, but Monsieur Labonté is ready and willing to examine any proposals put forward by either company regarding the future of the sign.
Meanwhile, an ADM spokesperson has emailed to say that they have made no official announcements since their August joint statement (below). (NB This appears to contradict the information we have regarding a letter being sent from ADM to Heritage Montreal last Thursday.) Anyway:
August 8, 2006 Smucker Foods of Canada and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), owner of the Five Roses sign in Montreal, today committed to re-illuminating the sign for the next several months. During that time, Smucker Foods of Canada and ADM will continue their ongoing dialogue to explore all possible options and determine the most appropriate course for the future of the sign, taking into consideration its current state of disrepair and any potential safety concerns it may pose. Smucker Foods of Canada’s acquisition of the worldwide rights to the Five Roses flour brand in the retail channel from ADM was finalized last month.
Further, regarding the sign being unlit, ADM reports that "It was accidentally turned off for a few days this past weekend. It was turned back on as soon as management was made aware."
In sum, then, the ball seems to be firmly in ADM's and Smucker's court. I am emailing ADM now to say as much. In the interim, we need to help all parties find some imaginative solutions before it is too late. I am inviting everyone to submit novel ideas, sketches, and proposals for the future of the sign. Where else would the sign look good? Lit? Unlit? With the neon intact? If one iconic sign can be saved by the company featured on the sign itself, and another one preserved by a generous businessman, then surely there's hope here too.
I will publish the best suggestions on this blog over the next few weeks to remind all the official parties involved that we're working on it too. (Bear in mind that, unless ADM buys back the rights to the Five Roses brand (unlikely), at the very least the sign will end up being removed from the roof of the mill.)
