"my signs and their placement are in full compliance with the City of Calgary bylaws."
On June 8th it was brought to my attention that there was a concern with the election signs I recently placed on public property in Ward 12. It was troubling to me as I reviewed the appropriate bylaw and communications from the City of Calgary in detail before placing the signs as I am a proponent for following the rules. There were allegations that I was cheating, acting illegally, and that I owed an apology to the voters of Ward 12. To further my due diligence, I contacted 311 and opened a case for clarification on the chance that my previous analysis of the regulations had been in error. Shortly thereafter, I was contacted by the area Sergeant for bylaw enforcement. It turns out that an officer had already been sent to investigate as 311 had received complaints about the signs. However, in my conversation with the Sergeant, and a subsequent conversation with our Ward Councillor, it was confirmed that my signs and their placement are in full compliance with the City of Calgary bylaws.
Being in compliance, the signs were not removed. Had they been in violation, Peace Officers are authorized to immediately remove and impound election signs that are in contravention of the bylaw.
"getting a campaign message out in a responsible and respectful manner"
The last months have been difficult as the Covid situation has resulted in more rules and regulations than we would have ever previously imagined. Just one of the many challenges the situation has presented is getting a campaign message out in a responsible and respectful manner. To this end, I did my research and executed a simple and cost effective strategy to create some name awareness. If it can be said that the manner in which a candidate conducts themselves during a campaign may be an indicator of how they will act as a representative, then I believe that applying simple and cost effective solutions fits my platform quite nicely.
"beware of false information"
It is becoming increasingly apparent that one must be aware of false information being distributed through many platforms, including social media. During election campaigns this caution should probably be amplified as candidates may say what they can in an attempt to gain votes. I encourage competition among candidates and believe that choice and debate are important parts of our democracy. However, an election campaign should not be an excuse for making false accusations against anyone. I encourage everyone to do their own research and ask questions beyond the sound bites they are being told so that they can be confident in their choice of representation.
Returning to the sign issue at hand, I reiterate that my signs are in compliance with the rules set out by the bylaws in place, which has been confirmed by bylaw enforcement. Should there be a change in those bylaws I will be more than happy to abide by any new rules as well.
An apology and a thank you
Further to the suggestion that I owe the voters of Ward 12 an apology, I will offer one. I am sorry that you have had to endure this barrage of false information regarding the election signs. I would like to offer you a thanks as well for your patience in awaiting my reply. I would also like to thank those responsible at the City of Calgary for providing excellent sources of information on their website for easy access by voters and candidates alike. I will place some of those links at the bottom of this post for convenience.
" turn 'one day' into 'day one' "
In closing, I believe the people of Ward 12 deserve responsible, respectful representation. Unfortunately there have been many examples lately of elected officials at all levels exhibiting inappropriate behavior. Wouldn't it be nice if one day we could trust them to represent their constituents in a responsible manner? On October 18th, let's turn 'one day' into 'day one'. I'm asking you to let me be your voice of reason on city council for Ward 12.
Elections Calgary main page - https://www.calgary.ca/election.html
Bylaws relating to election signs - https://www.calgary.ca/csps/abs/bylaws-by-topic/election-signs.html
Download the Temporary Signs on Highways Bylaw 29M97 - https://publicaccess.calgary.ca/lldm01/livelink.exe?func=ccpa.general&msgID=VyATqqTTeT&msgAction=Download
Excerpt from Elections Calgary Candidate and Third Party Advertising Newsletter #5 issued June 2nd.
