By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Eight weeks into the federal election campaign, few Davidson voters have chosen to express their preferences via the usual lawn signs.
But some unofficial — and illegal — signs popped up throughout town briefly over the weekend, courtesy of an unknown activist.
Between the evening of Sept. 19 and the morning of Sept. 20, several stop signs in Davidson were adorned with small red stickers bearing the name “Harper” in white capital letters, thus forming the message “Stop Harper.”
An unofficial count taken early on Sunday morning revealed a total of 13 signs defaced in this manner, apparently as a form of protest against Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Town administrator Gary Edom said Monday that public works staff were already out removing the remaining stickers from the signs.
He said he can’t recall the town having to deal with such vandalism in past election campaigns.
Another batch of similar stickers — this time, miniature stop signs containing the entire slogan — showed up later in the week.
The stickers were sighted on several downtown buildings, including the Leader office and the seniors centre. Edom reported that several were removed from the front entrance and rear doors of town hall. Others reported seeing them affixed to recycling bins.
News reports indicate that the stickers are popping up across the country, with sightings reported from Prince Rupert, B.C., to Charlottetown, P.E.I. A quick Google search indicates the stickers can be purchased online.
The slogan came to national attention in June 2011 when activist Brigitte DePape, then a participant in the Canadian Senate Page Program, interrupted the presentation of the Throne Speech by displaying a handmade “Stop Harper” sign on the Senate floor, leading to her prompt dismissal.
Davidson’s traffic bylaw states under section 4-c that “no person shall deface, damage, destroy or remove any sign or marker erected pursuant to this bylaw.”
The document further states that anyone who violates that section of the bylaw is “guilty of an offence” and, if convicted, faces a fine of $500, reduced to $50 if paid within seven days.
Kenaston administrator Carman Fowler said Tuesday she had not seen or heard any reports of such stickers surfacing in her village. Likewise, Craik administrator Sarah Wells said the stickers had yet to appear there.