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Calgary says city worker's removal of 'Send Ottawa a Message' referendum signs was an error
Ahead of Alberta's separation referendum, a Calgary city worker was filmed pulling out pro-separation signs; the city admits they were removed in error and has returned them.
Why it matters
A referendum-sign skirmish on Calgary streets ahead of Alberta's separation vote: a city worker was filmed pulling out pro-separation 'Send Ottawa a Message' signs, and the city now admits the removal was a mistake.
Full report
The Calgary Herald reported October 1 that Brian McLelland, leader of Albertans4Freedom — a third-party advertiser promoting separation in the upcoming referendum — posted a video Tuesday showing a city worker trying to pull a sign out of the ground in the city's northwest, near 10th Street NW and Confederation Park.
"The City can confirm that some signs were removed in error and later returned to the original owner," a city spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. The large board the worker was seen trying to remove was ultimately left in place; as of Thursday, the 'Send Ottawa a Message' signs remained standing.
The city's website says it does not regulate referendum signs, but it can remove boards that present safety hazards or interfere with public infrastructure — for example within 15 metres of an intersection, 30 metres of a bus shelter or LRT station, 20 metres of another sign by the same owner, or in playground or school zones. Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness said restrictions approved by council last year — including raising the minimum distance between signs from the same party to 30 metres — complicate the issue.
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