Election signs are damaged, removed, taken down or defaced in every election, and the 2021 Canadian federal election is no exception. Most of the political parties seeking a seat in Halton Hills are reporting some degree of vandalism to their signs.
However, the Peoples Party of Canada candidate in Wellington Halton Hills, Syl Carle, thinks there is “considerably more vandalism this time around,” and that his signs are being specifically targeted. “All signs [are] affected that I see, but mine get three times as much,” he said.
“We must be up to 20 or so in Acton, not stolen just kicked or damaged,” Carle added. “I'm getting reports of many signs down in Fergus as well. One location in Puslinch gets removed every time we put a sign there.”
Jim Smith, campaign manager for Conservative incumbent Michael Chong, thinks that the amount of vandalism is about on par with previous campaigns. “We have not had significantly more damage this election than previous ones but usually replace/repair about 10 per cent of the road signs we put up. The wooden stakes usually get the most damage,” he said.
“We tell our sign crews and volunteers that if they see damage occurring to any campaign signs to share the information so it can be shared with the police,” added Smith.
But Frank Tersigni, campaign manager for Liberal Melanie Lang, thinks there has been an upswing in vandalism to his candidate's signs, drawing on his experience having worked on two previous elections. “We've seen quite a bit of vandalism. We've seen signs vandalized, spray painted, torn down first time, second time, multiple times in different locations, Fergus, Acton, Georgetown, Aberfoyle, really all across the riding,” he said.
“There's always some vandalism, But it certainly does seem there is a different level of it and certainly more directed at Melanie [Lang] than any of the other candidates from what I've been able to see. You know, we have a line up of signs and only Melanie's is slashed, or only hers is defaced in some way. We are over 50 signs [affected] across the riding,” added Tersigni.
Tersigni is also concerned with a video that has emerged on TikTok, showing someone in a pick-up truck running down one of Lang's signs. “We've certainly been in touch with the Halton Police to share what we've been able to find. Especially the social media video that I mentioned. That's a bit more consequential than just a photo of a damaged sign. It's vandalism, it's a federal offence. There very well could be consequences,” he said.
The NDP's Noor Jahangir was the last candidate to announce. As we go to press, her signs are still being printed and have not been posted yet.
The environmentally conscious Green Party is offering green ribbons instead of placards to homeowners. However, the Greens are still using signs on roadsides, like the other parties, but have not reported any damages as yet. Ran Zhu who is the candidate representing the Green Party told Acton UP, " I have not seen vandalism or removal for my signs but I've seen a lot of vandalism on signs for the LPC and PPC. I am very concerned as my least favourite part is the negativity in politics. We all deserve different choices. I have worked on other campaigns but I have not experienced having our signs stolen or vandalized. I would consider either calling law enforcement or the Returning Officer."
Incumbent MP Michael Chong replied directly to a request for information on sign vandalism. “A number of our signs have been damaged during this campaign. Unfortunately, this is something we have experienced in every campaign. Our volunteers are out every day repairing damaged signs as quickly as possible. I strongly condemn any form of vandalism against any campaign in this election. Canada is a democracy, and we should be having a healthy, respectful debate about ideas and the future of our country.”
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