Despite being called an “affront” to democracy and freedom of expression, Kingston city council approved revisions to a city bylaw Tuesday night that will now ban election signs on public property.

The ban is one of several new provisions that resulted from a review of the election sign bylaw, but it was the change that got most of the attention from city councillors.

“It is an affront to democracy and an affront to freedom of expression,” Loyalist-Cataraqui District Coun. Simon Chapelle said. “We need to educate the public of who the candidates are, and signs are one way to do it.”

Chapelle said the city’s review of the bylaw drew 205 comments from the public and did not receive input from previous candidates.

Chapelle said the changes could disrupt local candidates preparing for the federal election in October and give an advantage to incumbent Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen.

The changes could be seen as city councillors building a “self-serving advantage” into the sign bylaw, Pittsburgh District Coun. Ryan Boehme said.

“In the last election, every incumbent was voted back in without this advantage,” he said. “This new bylaw, as it stands now, would likely give an overwhelming advantage to any incumbent, and new candidates would face even greater disadvantage.”

Under the Municipal Act, violating the sign bylaw can result in a fine of up to $10,000. Repeated offences can result in a fine of up to $25,000.

“I think this will have people running for the hills rather than running to sign nomination papers,” Boehme said.

Williamsville District Coun. Jim Neill, who prior to last year’s municipal election very publicly took 400 of his election signs to a local recycling centre, supported the changes and questioned the need for signs at all.

“The idea that somehow this will give incumbents an enormous advantage ignores the fact that it is a level playing field, and it isn’t incumbents, it’s the people who get out there and knock on doors and talk to people,” he said.

Neill initiated the review of the sign bylaw almost a year ago after receiving complaints from constituents upset about signs placed along the roadsides adjacent to cemeteries and parks.

“It’s a huge improvement on the previous Wild West of signs,” Neill said of the new bylaw revisions.

Many councillors said reducing the number of signs in elections also reduces the financial costs that may prevent some candidates from running.

“I think they are more of a distraction, in truth, to the process,” Lakeside District Coun. Wayne Hill said.

But Boehme and Mayor Bryan Paterson pointed out that with the potential of the city using a ranked ballot in the next municipal election, banning signs from public property may make it more difficult for voters to find out who their candidates are.



“I think that banning election signs on public property is actually going to make it harder for the electorate to understand everyone running in the district,” Paterson said.

“There are some people who may see one sign there and another sign there and then go into the voting booth and say, ‘I have no idea who those other people are. I didn’t even know they were running.’”

elferguson@postmedia.com