Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow wants access to the Sam the Record Man sign, but Ryerson’s president Sheldon Levy has answered Matlow’s request with silence.
In a Sept. 17 letter addressed to Levy’s office, Matlow cites his constituent’s growing worry that “the sign has been damaged beyond repair or even destroyed” and requests a chance to visit the neon records as they lie in storage.
The letter has not yet been acknowledged by Ryerson, and the location of the sign and its condition has been a point of contention for several months.
Read the letter here:
The sign was once the focal point of Yonge Street, but it hasn’t been spotted in five years. Public unrest about its future is growing and rumours swirl that Ryerson is trying to hide a damaged-beyond-repair, retro relic.
But it looks like there’s a better chance of Assad allowing the UN in to see his weapons of mass destruction than Sheldon Levy allowing me to see the sign.
Ryerson has zealously guarded the location of the sign and has not allowed visitors to see it in any capacity.
Matlow has previously expressed frustration with the school’s transparency, saying “I’ve often felt that I have not received direct responses to my questions.”
“I haven’t felt that Ryerson has wanted to deal with this in a very forthright way, and it saddens me.”
Ryerson officials have repeatedly tried to assure the public that the sign is “safe in an off-site storage facility.” However, speculation has only grown and the university isn’t letting curious eyes see the sign for themselves.
“I have no reason not to believe them, but I’ll believe them more when I have a response,” Matlow says. “But it looks like there’s a better chance of Assad allowing the UN in to see his weapons of mass destruction than Sheldon Levy allowing me to see the sign.”
Masters of Journalism candidate at Ryerson university.