Voters in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby can expect to see some old-fashioned campaigning in the run-up to the provincial election.
Raj Chouhan, the NDP MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds, has been knocking on doors in his riding to persuade homeowners to put up his campaign signs. (CBC)A new Burnaby bylaw prevents candidates from posting signs in public places, and that means candidates have to visit neighbourhoods to recruit homeowners willing to post campaign signs on their property.
Raj Chouhan, NDP MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds, said he's getting into shape quickly.
"This time we have to contact … people who live in this constituency," Chouan said. "We ask people if they will support me and they will take up a sign. So, we have [put up] almost 200 signs in the past three days."
Mayor Derek Corrigan said the bylaw governing signs began with complaints from the public.
"A lot of them [signs] ended up after the election drifting in the wind — ending up in our sewer system or scattering around the city — so people said that they had had enough of it," he said.
But the bylaw is not without its critics.
Liberal campaign manager Ed Arundell said public signs lead to public education.
"My preference would be that you have the freedom to put signs up responsibly wherever it was appropriate in the community," Arundell said, "so that people who all lead busy lives can understand that there's an election on and get a sense of who the candidates are."
