 Why a welcome sign was the biggest political issue in Greater Victoria for 24 hours | | |  | | | It’s just a welcome sign to a lake.
But the 24-hour saga of the Thetis Lake sign replacement provides an excellent example of how local and regional governments can lose their connection to the residents they serve — and also how they can regain it.
“I'm happy to admit that we may have got it wrong,” said Capital Regional District (CRD) Chair Colin Plant, telling Metro Matters he had asked staff to put a moratorium on their plans to replace wayfinding signs throughout the region — which included several popular lakes like Thetis.
The problem was that as soon as the new signs were seen by the public, there was incredible backlash. They were seen as too generic and too corporate — a common issue with many modern welcome signs — and a poor substitute for the homespun log carving that had long adorned the entrance of Thetis Lake.Indeed, Plant said that part of the problem was that CRD board members hadn’t even seen the new signs.
“Even the last board, to be blunt, didn't know what the actual signage was going to look like,” he said, estimating only about 10 per cent of people online were voicing positive comments about the new sign.
“The board authorized funding for a new signage program, but we left the decision of design and concept to staff in this circumstance. Certainly I don’t think we didn't expected such a public response.”
While the board will still have to meet and decide what their next steps are, it’s clear lessons are being learned.
“The rules of good governance have altered dramatically in the past few years with social media, technology and the pandemic,” said View Royal Mayor and CRD board member Sid Tobias, whose municipality includes Thetis Lake.
“The challenge is that governance has not been agile enough to accommodate the change fast enough.”
And lest you think this is an overblown windstorm over a welcome sign, these things can escalate quickly.
“I would even go so far as to say it cost our former mayor his job, and got me my new job!!” texted Quesnel Mayor Ron Paull, who defeated incumbent Bob Simpson last October in part because of community anger over the renovation and relocation of the town’s beloved gold pan welcome sign.
Paull then warned the CRD of what could happen if they failed to respond to the backlash over the Thetis Lake sign, which they promptly did.
It’s all a reminder of how seemingly minor issues can erode people’s faith in their elected officials.
Or, put another way, how a sign of welcome can lead to a political exit. | | |  | | | 1. Vancouver | | | More money for graffiti and litter prevention in Chinatown? Check. Less money to the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users? Check. Getting rid of the renters’ office set up by Kennedy Stewart? Check. It was a busy week at Vancouver council, with a number of decisions showing the stamp ABC Vancouver is putting on their running of the city — in ways that are inevitably pleasing their supporters and angering their opponents.
Read more in the Vancouver Sun | | |  | | | 2. Kelowna | While rallies protesting pandemic measures put in by governments have declined significantly since 2021 and 2022, Kelowna is still a hot spot for them — which may be why the city has gone to court asking for an injunction to stop the weekly events. A judge will likely have to rule on the tension between freedom of assembly and the breaking of bylaws around event permits and noise control.
Read more | | | |  | | | 3. Coquitlam | This week council took the first step to possibly approving a massive development near a SkyTrain station that could create 4,000 homes in a cluster of apartments, while city manager Peter Steblin quietly retired … and questions continued to swirl about whether his retirement was connected to his handling of confidential information, and whether the city’s response has been sufficient. Read more | | | | | |  | | | 4. Kamloops | It feels at this point we need regular updates on the mayoral drama in Kamloops, which took a turn for the threatening as the city’s top bureaucrat said he was recently phoned in the middle of the night by someone saying he supported the mayor, and for him to watch his mouth — while local media wrote a number of columns bemoaning the current dynamic at city hall. Stay tuned for next week!
Read more in Castanet | | | |  | | | 5. Kimberley | B.C.’s Best Small Town is currently embroiled in a dispute over … a statue. Specifically, it’s a request for a statue of a service dog in the city’s Veterans Memorial Park — and after rejecting the request in 2021, a new council rejected the request once again earlier this month. Like many statue controversies, council's current stance is that they're trying to find a more suitable location for a potential monument. Read more | | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
forwarded to you. | | | | That's it for this this week! In the meantime, check out the latest headlines at cbc.ca/bc and follow our municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy on Twitter. And if you have any questions you might want answered in a future mailbag, drop Justin a line at metromatters@cbc.ca. | | | |
