Amend them or take them down.
That is the message from the City of Stratford to a local group, Get Concerned Stratford, who have provided election-style lawn signs that ask voters to remember the proposed Xinyi Canada glass facility if voting for a new city council.
The original message on the signs, from 2020/2021, is one of restoring public trust and asked Stratford city council to vote no to the idea of the glass plant, which ultimately never moved forward after community resistance related to a perceived lack of transparency and environmental concerns.
The signs have been repurposed with a new sticker on the front, which states, ‘Voting for a new council? WE REMEMBER’. Get Concerned Stratford’s website address is underneath.
Sharon Collingwood, a spokesperson for Get Concerned Stratford, said the group has received three letters from the City of Stratford, noting the signs violate the Elections Act, she said.
After thoroughly reviewing the Elections Act, the group are unsure what part of it they are violating.
Collingwood told StratfordToday that the group responded to the city, noting that the signs do not support or oppose a candidate and they are not arguing for or against a yes/no issue in the election, without registering as a third-part advertiser, which are violations of the Elections Act.
Collingwood said the group are not registered as third party advertisers.
The city’s letter said the group could be faced with a fine of up to $25,000.
A second letter on Oct. 4 asked the group whether creation and distribution of their signs was directed or funded by a candidate. Collingwood said that isn’t the case.
“We will deliver them if ordered from our website. People are putting them next to incumbent signs and next to people who have never run before.”
Collingwood said no city council candidates are involved with the signs, or a member of Get Concerned Stratford. No candidates have donated to their organization, she added. The signs are not being placed on public property. Collingwood thought the matter was settled until receiving a third letter from the city late on Friday afternoon, asking for amendments.
“We don’t understand the problem because we are not mentioning a candidate.”
Collingwood said the group have asked the city to indicate which candidates are being promoted or opposed and what parts of the signs are opposing them, so they know what to amend.
She said the city's letter noted that it was informed the signs were being prepared and distributed by the group to promote candidates.
Get Concerned Stratford have asked if the ‘new council’ portion of the message is at issue. The group have also asked if they would be in compliance if they replaced the word ‘remember’ with ‘forget’.
Stratford city clerk Tatiana Dafoe said the city is working cooperatively with Get Concerned Stratford to find a solution.
"As we have communicated, there are signs that have been prepared and distributed by the Get Concerned Stratford group, for the purpose of promoting candidates. We have provided education and we have sought additional information from the group and we are working cooperatively with them in order to resolve the situation," she told StratfordToday.
Dafoe said advertisements created under the direction of a candidate would fall under the candidate’s campaign, however, if the intent it to advertise about an issue, under the act it would not be considered third party advertising.
