One of the people running to represent Queens in the provincial election says not allowing election lawn signs on municipal property puts some candidates at a disadvantage.

NDP Candidate Mary Dahr says the Region of Queens has removed the signs she placed on municipal sites.

Dahr approached the Region to ask if they would relax their rules.

“They were defending their rules and they police it very good but that’s as far as they would go,” said Dahr. “Just defending their rules, they were not budging on it.”

Dahr is concerned the policy could exclude people from being involved in the electoral process.

“Anybody who’s a minority, it’s a barrier, it’s not inclusive at all. I’m hoping that they will change their rules on that,” said Dahr.

Lawn signs for Queens candidates line both sides of Bristol Ave in Liverpool. Photo by Ed Halverson.

According to Elections Nova Scotia, each municipality can determine whether or not lawn signs will be permitted on municipal property.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the Region of Queens has a long-standing policy of not allowing campaign signs on their lands.

“We strongly believe that people in Queens County do not want to see election signs posted on public property. They do not want to see them in parks, they don’t want to see them around cenotaphs, they don’t want to see them at beaches, they don’t want to see them at Queens Place,” said Norman.

NDP leader Gary Burrill, who was campaigning with Dahr in Liverpool on Monday takes the sign controversy in stride

“I don’t think there’s ever been a provincial election in Nova Scotia where there weren’t sign questions and lots of them,” said Burrill. “That goes with the territory.”

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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