As November civic election draws near, one B.C. municipality is bucking the trend when it comes to election signs.
While municipalities across B.C. see the usual proliferation of “vote for me” signs, Whistler decided to cut back on the political clutter, banning the signs altogether.
All 11 candidates in Whistler have agreed not to put up any signs this election. Some were focused on the environmental aspect, others say they are just a costly hassle.
Council candidate Steve Anderson says it is unprecedented for political rivals to get together and come up with a decision like that.
Compare that to Vernon, where council has gone the opposite direction.
Last week,Vernon city council voted to instruct staff not to enforce the bylaw on political signs during the current local election campaign unless there are complaints about safety or liability. Among other things, the rules say political signs can’t be put up on road allowances or government owned land.
Signs can also be targets for vandals. In the past few days at least two candidates have been targeted, one in the Okanagan, the other in Surrey.
The RCMP in Summerland are now investigating what appears to be a hate-motivated crime towards candidate Toni Boot.
Meanwhile, Surrey mayoral candidate Barinder Rasode says she filed a police report over hateful messages that were written over her election signs.
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