Destroying or vandalizing election signs is illegal in Canada.
There was no other feeling except shock when Richmond municipal candidates found their campaign signs defaced and destroyed.
Advance Richmond president Kevin Lai said multiple signs were not only spray painted over, but the two-by-four frames that held the signs at Railway Avenue and Blundell Street were torn apart last week.
Mayoral candidate Alexa Loo and Richmond Strong campaign signs have also been defaced in the city as well.
Lai told the Richmond News there were several separate incidents when Advance Richmond signs were damaged, noticed by volunteers who were door-knocking.
“You cannot simply break a two-by-four by your bare hands. You need some kind of tool, hammer or something to crack them,” said Lai.
“They were definitely purposely destroyed.”
Vandalizing, stealing or destroying campaign signs is a criminal offence, falling under mischief in the Criminal Code of Canada.
Purposefully damaging signs could result in criminal or provincial charges and the penalties depend on the value of the damage and circumstances.
If people go onto private property to deface a sign, they can be hit with a provincial trespassing fine as well.
Lai said they don’t think they have “too many things that’s controversial” going on with their slate to have people wanting to destroy their signs.
“It’s just shocking.”
Amid the election campaign process, several Advance Richmond signs were illegally placed along Hazelbridge Way during the weekend.
Lai told the News volunteers were helping candidates place signs and they did their best to understand the proper areas signs can be placed.
“I believe the signs might have been placed by one of the volunteers who hasn’t fully understood the regulations,” said Lai.
The City of Richmond reached out to Advance Richmond regarding the illegally placed signs, to which Lai said they responded quickly.
“We always comply to city requests, especially if there is anything that’s been done wrong. We try to fix it in the quickest manner.”
“But as you know, like there’s two elections going on right now. The manpower is running really thin, even though we have a lot of volunteers. But a lot of them, they all still have to work. They can only do it after hours.”
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