Sign, sign, everywhere a sign: Displays in full force as municipal election nears

The official municipal election period may not start until Sept. 22, but signs for candidates who are vying for your vote are already popping up everywhere in Calgary.

“Absolutely, there are campaigns that are taking full advantage of signs this year,” said Todd Sullivan, the city’s leader of patrol and investigations.

The city’s Temporary Signs on Highways Bylaw sets out a long list of rules for placing signage across Calgary.

Under the bylaw, signs cannot be put on public boulevards within 15 metres of an intersection, within 10 metres of a crosswalk or within two metres of a driveway or entrance to private property.

They also cannot be placed in playground and school zones, along traffic islands and medians or within two metres of a curb or edge of a roadway.

Election signs are not allowed to be placed in city parks.

“Those rules are all still in place during elections. The only thing that changes is that signs which are directly supporting a candidate or a party, they can be up for the entire election period,” Sullivan said.

“So that will actually run this year from Sept. 22 at noon until 72 hours after the election itself. But that doesn’t mean election signs can’t be up now.”

There are also size restrictions for signs that are relaxed slightly during an election period—signs of up to three square metres are allowed to be displayed, as long as their maximum height does not exceed 2.5 metres from the ground.

As long as they follow Calgary’s land use bylaw, signs on private property do not have to follow many of the rules for displays in public areas.

Election sign vs. poster

Sullivan says the city has already fielded questions about election displays attached to light poles—something at least one political party is taking advantage of.

Election signs are not permitted to be attached to street light or traffic signal poles, Plus 15 bridges or Calgary Transit signage.

However, election posters are allowed to be affixed to unpainted street light poles, as long as they do not exceed 0.12 square metres and are secured with clear tape.

“So if it is a poster that can wrap around the light post without sticking out, then it can be attached to an unpainted light post,” Sullivan said.

Signs must be removed from all public areas within 72 hours after the Oct. 20 election.

Questions and complaints about sign infractions can be reported through 311 or online.

Fines for breaking the sign bylaw range from $75 to $1,000.