Local group using AI slop in bid to get Toronto scared about convenience stores

Neighbourhood retail on Toronto side streets has emerged as a hot-button issue putting locals at odds, and controversy surrounding one community organization's AI-generated fear campaign is just the latest flare-up in this heated debate.

Controversy swirled in 2024 around a local grocery store that had faced licensing issues, triggering widespread discussion on rules surrounding retail in established residential areas.

City Council's November vote on a proposed Neighbourhood Retail plan has been welcomed by many in the city, but one local community group has stood out in vocal opposition to changes that would increase options for businesses like convenience stores to operate on side streets.

However, the group's methods have landed them in the crosshairs of online commenters, and the backlash was swift and immediate.

The community group known as IntegrityTO — which has previously lobbied campaigns against renaming locations after controversial historical figures and called for an audit of the City's shelter system — is under fire for an AI-powered social media fear campaign aimed at scaring the public away from the concept of neighbourhood retail. 

One video, depicting a 7-Eleven on a Toronto side street surrounded by trash and a loitering crowd sipping back brews, has been laughed off as "fearmongering" by online commenters.

They’re not even good at fear mongering. Minus the littering, that 7-11 looks pretty dope…

— Urban Cayman (@ProjectEND) November 11, 2025

Daniel Tate, Executive Director of IntegrityTO, tells blogTO that the campaign's "purpose is to encourage public dialogue and reflection."

Tate explains that "While the [City] proposal aims to foster opportunities for local neighbourhood retail, it is important to exercise caution. Without thoughtful safeguards, these new zoning bylaws could inadvertently pave the way for large corporate entrants into small neighbourhoods - driving up property values, altering local character, and diminishing overall quality of life."

And while many don't agree with the stance on neighbourhood retail, it has been the group's alleged uncredited use of local creators' content to create fake AI scenarios that has really ruffled feathers.

Honest to god, the shamelessness…IntegrityTO’s creation on the left, my original art on the right. https://t.co/YraKUkF0vo pic.twitter.com/XXloStL5kn

— Dan Seljak (@anotherglassbox) November 11, 2025

Local resident Dan Seljak — an outspoken supporter of neighbourhood retail — has emerged as a staunch opponent of IntegrityTO's campaign against neighbourhood retail, both on the group's argument itself and their alleged use of Seljak's photography in AI prompts.

While Seljak told blogTO "I don't know if it was intentional," he notes that "obviously I have some strong feelings about the fact that at least one of the images/videos they're disseminating to counter neighbourhood retail very closely resembles a direct photo I took of a real local retailer, except they've inserted a bunch of garbage people chatting and then placed it in a context that isn't even possible under the proposed rules."

Tate brushes off any concerns about AI use rather than paying local creators, telling blogTO that "This video has a clear AI label and has been produced under the principles of fair dealing and critical commentary, both of which are recognized and protected forms of expression under Canadian copyright law."

However, Seljak argues not the legal, but the moral validity of "people using AI to construct realities that actually don't reflect what's happening on the ground," noting, "These are people who are not like leaving the house to seek out real precedents."

"They're not talking to small business owners who own a current operating neighbourhood retail, they are just imagining worst-case scenarios and then using machine learning and generative AI to make those realities come to life and then sell it to an audience."

Tate stressed to blogTO that "The graphic is intended to provoke discussion and critical thought about how well-intentioned policy changes can yield unintended consequences if not carefully considered and managed."

It's safe to say IntegrityTO has met its goal in provoking discussion, though perhaps not quite the discourse the group had aimed for.

The campaign has also sparked discussions about issues like misrepresentation. Seljak speaks of businesses run by real people being reworked into AI content, saying, "I'm offended on their behalf." 

Still, Tate raises concerns about infill retail on residential streets, listing concerns like "noise, light pollution, littering, and loitering to adjacent homes," and argues "Residents shouldn't have to contend with a mini-mart, cannabis shop, or bar operating right next door." 

He maintains that mid-block retail "undermines the character and tranquillity of residentially zoned neighbourhoods," despite being unable to use real-world photographic examples as evidence in the campaign.

City Council will vote on the Neighbourhood Retail plan during its session on Nov. 14, 2025.