The big election sign cleanup in Ottawa begins
There are few symbols of an election more quintessential than the campaign signs that pop up on lawns and green space in the runup to voting day.
But what goes up must inevitably come down — in the following 48 hours, says Ottawa bylaw.
In the wake of a tumultuous provincial election, candidates both victorious and defeated were driving around the city with their campaign teams Friday, collecting thousands of signs around the city.
“Before I got elected, I ran a lot of campaigns, and before I started running campaigns, I used to love doing the signs,” said Liberal John Fraser, who was re-elected in Ottawa South on Thursday night.
“I think it’s part of our electoral process. It’s visible in the community that something ’s happening. It helps people be aware they have to make a decision.”
Visible, the signs certainly were — too much so for some. The city said it received 56 requests for service regarding campaign sign placement since April 10.
According to Roger Chapman, the city’s bylaw chief, the most common complaint was for signs believed to be interfering with visibility for drivers. Others said signs were obstructing traffic, on a median, too close to a roadway, or placed on city or private property without authorization.
The majority were determined not to represent a violation, Chapman said, though a few were met with warnings, which were complied with.
The NDP’s Joel Harden, the victor in Ottawa Centre, said his team of more than 1,000 volunteers helped get about 2,500 signs out into the community.
When asked what material his signs were made of, Harden relayed the question to a member of his team. The answer: plastic. “Oh, that’s not good,” Harden said.
The activist and educator said he welcomes suggestions from the community about creative ways to repurpose the signs, and that he’s already been contacted by a local teacher looking to use them in a class project.
On Thursday night, GlengarryPrescott-Russell Liberal candidate Pierre Leroux recounted his own dramatic experience with signs during the campaign — dozens were stolen last month, he said, in a “coordinated” theft. He filed a police report, but nothing had come of it.
He’d be out collecting the remaining signs Friday, he said, cheerful despite his defeat at the hands of PC candidate Amanda Simard. But it won’t be long before he’s putting a slightly different version out again — he’s running for mayoral re-election in Russell Township this fall.
The made-up award for most impressive sign collection likely goes to Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod. She’s held on to one from each of her five electoral victories, according to campaign director Kayla Fernet. Small lawn signs costs between three and five dollars, Fernet said, so they try to recycle them when they can.
Parties or candidates are responsible for disposing of signs, which can be removed and impounded by the city after a 48-hour grace period.
If you’re somehow left with a humble election sign, unclaimed by your local candidate, don’t despair. While they ’re not part of the city’s residential waste program, its recycling processor Cascades Recovery Plus will accept signs. For more information or drop-off, contact the general manager Dan Stone at 613-742-1222 ext. 69103.