Councillor left ‘underwhelmed’ by proposed Calgary election sign rule changes
Global News
Calgary's Executive Committee is set to debate amendments to the city's temporary sign bylaw on Wednesday in an effort to reduce election sign clutter.
On Wednesday, Calgary city councillors will debate proposed changes to rules around election signs in an effort to cut down on clutter in public spaces and boulevards. But some councillors feel the proposal doesn’t go far enough.
The amendments to the city’s temporary sign bylaw follow a motion from two councillors last year that raised concerns with the number of signs in public spaces along city streets during election campaigns.
The notice of motion from Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner and Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp asked city administration to look into the issue ahead of an election period while considering the environmental and driver safety impacts of the signs.
The proposed amendments include increasing the minimum distance between signs by the same party or candidate to 30 meters, 10 meters more than the current rules. The proposal would also prohibit signs within two metres of a driveway crossing.
Administration said it is also reviewing locations with high complaint numbers to consider adding to the list of prohibited roadways for sign placement.
City administration’s proposed amendments would also increase the minimum fines to $100, up from $75, while tickets worth $125 would change to $200.
“At first glance, I’ll be honest, I was actually underwhelmed,” Penner told reporters.
Penner said the proposed changes don’t go far enough and added she would be bringing forward a motion to send the amendments back to city administration for further work.