Delta will review its current standards for political signs during election campaigns.
The review, which will be undertaken by staff and then reported back at a future Delta council meeting, came about following a notice of motion from Coun. Dylan Kruger.
“I think it was clear to all observers during the last municipal election that the sheer quantity of signs on public property has increased exponentially over the last couple of electoral cycles and in my view is getting out of hand,” said Kruger at Monday’s council meeting.
“We saw many areas of excess, of which one comes to mind on 56th Street in Tsawwassen where one candidate puts up 20 signs and others added to the mix.”
What Kruger is proposing is that staff study sign regulations in other municipalities and come back with some options.
“I do believe there is a reasonable limit for candidates to get their messages out,” he said. “Frankly, the amount of plastic and wood that goes into these signs for a 28-day campaign is quite wasteful. It’s also a potential safety concern depending on where they are placed and can be a distraction for drivers and pedestrians alike.”
Coquitlam and New Westminster have passed bylaws limiting the number of signs on civic property during election periods, said Kruger, adding staff could look at those municipalities for guidance.
“I will vote for the motion to get more information, but I do have a few concerns,” said Coun. Bruce McDonald. “I understand where people are coming from with the number of signs and this year was classic with 40 signs in a 50-foot area, which is outrageous to spend that kind of money, but I believe that part of the metric of elections is they go up on a day and are down in a short period of time, so I don’t know how you can say what is reasonable and what is not in that system. I will support this because I want to get the information, but I’m not as concerned.”
Coun. Lois Jackson said council seems to have this discussion after every election.
“I would hope that staff would understand in my opinion that the report would come back with options and recommendations relative to having say 20 signs for one candidate in one location,” she said. “Maybe one candidate sign per location and that may cut down on the proliferation, but I want to make sure we have some options to debate and discuss.”
