Bush country signs ignite debate
A suggestion from Peterborough County Coun. Bev Matthews provided levity as councillors debated which townships should be included in the proposed bylaw regulating so-called bush country signs Wednesday.
The issue has dragged on for so long, the townships that don’t have bush country could go ahead and plants trees alongside their county roads, she said.
“It should be simple,” Matthews told her colleagues. “But I really think once those trees grow, everybody will be the same.”
The terms of reference for the sign bylaw working committee council struck earlier this year were put before councillors for approval Wednesday in a report presented by engineering and design manager Peter Nielsen.
The two-part resolution passed Jan. 17 continues the moratorium on issuing sign permits for bush country and extends the county’s existing bylaw until
Jan. 15, 2019.
It also directed staff to report on the creation of the ad hoc committee and asked for the creation of a terms of reference that includes recommendations for the term, scope, composition, mandate and roles and responsibilities of the group, among other things.
After some debate about the wording of some of the terms, council ultimately voted to have Nielsen make some amendments to the terms before bringing the request to next week’s meeting for possible approval.
As defined in the new bylaw, bush country areas are in Havelock-Belmont-Methuen and North Kawartha townships and the Municipality of Trent Lakes. Signs are prohibited on county road allowances in other townships.
Coun. John Fallis suggested each municipality should be asked if they want to be included in the new bylaw, pointing out that at least one township was content to leave their roadside signs just the way they are.
Coun. Rick Woodcock, the mayor of North Kawartha, agreed, affirming his township wants nothing to do with it.
That prompted Matthews’ comment about planting trees elsewhere.
The concern is valid, Nielsen said, explaining that the committee could consider bush country signs in some municipalities and not others.
Staff will, however, continue to consult with each of the townships, he said.
Those who have the most signs should have the most say, Coun. Jim Martin said.
The bylaw would only impact county roads, Coun. Terry Low noted, adding that the rules should apply to everyone whether a township wants signs or not. “You have to stick to one mandate or you are going to drive staff nuts.”
Other aspects of the proposed terms sparked discussion, too.
Coun. Sherry Senis said the scope of the committee should include a solution to remove existing illegal signs.
Nielsen pointed out that the recently-approved 2018 county budget includes funding to hire a new civil engineering student, whose primary role will be initiating an “aggressive campaign” of removing the signs.
Speaking to its composition, Coun. J. Murray Jones suggested the committee needs at least one member of county council on it. Nielsen said that was discussed, but said that wasn’t suggested because council will still have the final call.
Jones created a motion to have at least two members of council on the committee. It was seconded by Coun. Scott McFadden.
Coun. Karl Moher voiced his support for the proposal. “If we don’t represent the public effectively, we can be ousted at the next election.”
Councillors Fallis, Mary Smith and Doug Hutton spoke against the motion, pointing out that they support the staff recommendation.
“We still have the ultimate say in the end … we will have input in the end,” Hutton said.
The motion lost 9-6 in a recorded vote. Matthews then created a motion to scrap the second part of the Jan. 17 resolution, seconded by Fallis, prompting Coun. Rodger Bonneau to ask Nielsen how much time had been spent by staff preparing the terms of reference.
He couldn’t say exactly, but Warden Joe Taylor pointed out that it would have been significant amount of time.
That motion was overwhelmingly lost in another recorded vote.