Signage on Highway Rights-of-way (February 23)
Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Driving from Calgary to Edmonton, one can’t help but notice a variety of signs on private property, from semi-trailer billboards to the hay bale towers advertising feed, yet this minister specifically targets antinuclear signs, and his answers have not cleared things up.
This issue is not just about removal of signs on private property; it is about a situation where of all the signs out there on the highways of the Peace Country only the signs against nuclear power were specifically targeted. To the minister: why?
Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, I’ve got to tell you that this hon. member is absolutely wrong. Look, I’ve told him many times that this department has a policy that we do not allow signs within our right-of-way, and they’re noncompliant 300 metres on private land outside the right-of-way. On outside the right-of-way signs we send out letters telling people that they’re not compliant and to remove the signs, but we don’t remove them. Inside the right-of-way it doesn’t matter what’s on the sign. If they’re not compliant, we will remove them.
Mr. Kang: Mr. Speaker, this is about expressing freedom of speech, and it has nothing to do with the right-of-way. It is not right that only the signs expressing opposition to a government policy are removed. We haven’t had an answer on this. Perhaps the minister doesn’t know why his department is having this removal done.
What investigation of this has he undertaken?
Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, this policy has absolutely nothing to do with freedom of speech. It has to do with noncompliant signs within a right-of-way, and if the signs are noncompliant, it doesn’t matter what’s written on them; they’re going to be removed.
Mr. Kang: Those signs were not in noncompliance, Mr. Speaker. When can we and the people of the Peace Country expect to see a public formal review and report on this matter?
Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, we’re looking into some of the claims, but I’ve got to tell this hon. member: they are noncompliant. We don’t allow signs in the right-of-way.
Alberta Hansard, February 23, 2010