With the provincial election less than a month away, every piece of empty land in Sooke could be filled with election signs.
There are few rules with election signs within the district, according to Bylaw No. 480.
Election signs are allowed (no permit required), but must be removed within three days following the conclusion of an election. The bylaw also states signs can’t interfere with the visibility of traffic or be kept in disrepair.
But while Sooke has a laissez-faire attitude toward election signs, the same can’t be said for other communities across the province.
In Quesnel, only six signs are allowed on public property. Terrace, with just over 11,000 people, limited candidates to 30 signs each about a year ago.
Some municipalities, meanwhile, have allowed for more election signs than fewer over the years. During B.C.’s 2014 municipal election, Port Alberni decided to relax its sign bylaws to allow signs on boulevards “as long as the signs do not create a safety concern.”
In the Lower Mainland, most cities leave it up to the candidates.
– with files from Katya Slepian