Campaign signs are being knocked down across Surrey

John Banovich, a Surrey Now school trustee candidate, says dozens of the slate’s campaign signs have been knocked over across Surrey in the past two weeks. He told the Cloverdale Reporter that signs at some locations consistently go down together, affecting other slates as well. Banovich said he has not seen anyone remove the signs, but finds Troy Van Vliet and Surrey Now signs gone when he passes certain spots each morning. He has also seen Conservative party signs down and said his slate is not the only one being targeted.

Surrey Now mayoral candidate Troy Van Vliet said in a video posted to Facebook that his slate’s signs were going missing. Residents put signs in their front yards and find them gone the next day, he said. Larger “Vote for Surrey Now” signs have also been disappearing around the city.

Surrey First mayoral candidate Linda Annis said her slate has had no sign problems. She said they are careful not to place signs on city property and get residents’ approval before putting one on private property. City bylaws prohibit signs on city property. Annis said people often assume the strip of land beside a sidewalk is theirs because they mow it, but it is not private property.

Mike Starchuk of Imagine Surrey said his slate has had no problems with its signs. He said they have been diligent about placing signs on private property rather than ignoring the bylaws, and wondered whether that was why their signs had been left alone.

Teddy O’Donnell, campaign manager for Brenda Locke and Surrey Connect, said the slate has also had dozens of signs vandalized. Surrey Connect had more than 50 signs knocked over or vandalized in the past week, O’Donnell said, forcing the campaign to divert all its efforts from installing signs to repairing them.

Surrey Police Service media relations officer Sgt. Lindsey Houghton told the Cloverdale Reporter that police had received one report of sign vandalism in the city so far, dated Oct. 2. The report said three people destroyed an election sign near the intersection of 168th Street and 60th Avenue. Officers went to the area, spoke with the complainant and searched for the suspects, but could not find them. The matter remains under investigation.

Houghton said tampering with a sign could amount to criminal mischief. Depending on the sign’s value, the damage or the outcome, it could also involve theft. If signs are on private property, there could be election act implications, bylaw infractions or trespassing charges. He said defacing, tampering with or destroying signs could have criminal repercussions.

The Cloverdale Reporter also contacted Surrey mayoral candidate Doug McCallum to ask whether any of his signs had been vandalized or removed, but had not heard back by press time. Elections B.C. also did not return calls by press time.