No changes coming to election sign placement in Sault Ste. Marie

Martha Dillman · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 10:53 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

City councillors successful Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has voted nary changes volition beryllium made to the placement of predetermination signs successful the city.

A study recommending regulations connected the placement of signs was presented to councillors past night. It recommended that a bylaw beryllium created prohibiting predetermination signs connected nationalist property, including parks. It besides called that illuminated oregon flashing signs beryllium banned.

The petition for the study came from Coun. Sandra Hollingsworth, who said she "had a hard time" with the report.

"When I enactment this guardant originally, I was acrophobic astir excessively galore signs anywhere," she said.

"This past predetermination I deliberation is simply a bully illustration wherever I judge each candidates did a wonderful, outstanding occupation and tastefully placing their signs successful a harmless area."

She said she had concerns astir candidates lone being capable to spot their signs connected backstage property.

"There has been radical that reached retired to maine to accidental that they purposely didn't enactment predetermination signs connected their concern due to the fact that they person successful the past, mislaid business," she said.

"People person said you're voting for this group, I'm not going to bash concern with you. So I'm conscionable disquieted that if we fundamentally instrumentality the portion wherever you can't enactment it connected public, you're going to bounds the accidental for candidates to show fundamentally their sign."

'Signs don't vote'

Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said helium was opposed to the motion.

"I don't hold that this is simply a occupation that needs resolving," helium said. "I deliberation that the usage of signs is not thing we ought to beryllium policing. We frankly don't person the resources to constabulary this."

Coun. Sonny Spina, who has tally for the national Conservatives doubly successful the past, said signs don't needfully mean beardown enactment for a candidate.

"Signs don't vote," helium said. "Signs aren't the lone mode for america to advertise who is moving successful the upcoming elections connected immoderate level. I deliberation it's incumbent upon anyone who's astir to prosecute successful the process of entering an predetermination to cognize each the ways they tin scope the constituents due to the fact that it isn't conscionable 1 mode by utilizing signs."

Coun. Angela Caputo said she had concerns astir the biology interaction of predetermination signs.

"The signs are made of corrugated integrative and they are finished with a bladed expanse of immoderate benignant of integrative that from what I read, takes up to 400 years to really disintegrate," she said.

"You mightiness usage them once, you mightiness usage them twice, but eventually, they're going to extremity up successful the landfill."

Councillors voted 6-5 to decision the motion.

Voting against were Shoemaker and councillors Hollingsworth, Marchy Bruni, Kinach, Ron Zagordo and Corey Gardi.

Coun. Lisa Vezeau-Allen, Spina, Caputo, Matthew Scott and Luke Dufour voted successful favour of the motion.