‘Oops’: Vancouver mayor’s party faces backlash over campaign signs

Elections BC is being asked to intervene and stop Vancouver's ruling ABC party from installing campaign signs without consent.

A byelection campaign is underway for Vancouver city council and the mayor’s majority ABC party is facing backlash after some residents say signs were erected on their lawns without permission.

Coun. Rebecca Bligh says her parents were shocked to find a sign on their lawn supporting ABC’s two candidates for the April 5 vote.

“They were very confused as to how this came to be, certainly, given my recent ejection from the party,” she told CTV News.

ABC ousted Bligh last month after she questioned some of Mayor Ken Sim’s plans, including a controversial moratorium on supportive housing, the party saying she was “not aligned with (its) shared priorities.”

Bligh said she and her parents have serious concerns about the situation.

“This is a political party; you can’t just put signs up on people’s lawns that don’t consent to that happening,” she said. “As a resident of this city and someone who is elected, for me it crosses a very clear line.”

Park Board Commissioner Scott Jensen, formerly with ABC, also said a campaign sign was put up on his lawn.

OneCity Vancouver has sent a formal complaint to Elections BC, saying the signage may be breaking the rules.

The letter says ABC is installing signs on the properties of residents who previously agreed to have signs put up during the 2022 election. CTV News has obtained an email sent to electors that asks them to opt-out if they don’t want a sign on their property.

“It is deceptive and inappropriate to assume that a resident of the city has agreed to have election signs erected at their home on all occasions subsequent to a consent given in good faith for a specific purpose,” the complaint reads.

The letter also expressed concern that residents could be afraid to refuse having a sign put up given that ABC is the party in power.

When asked about the signs at an unrelated news conference Thursday, Sim responded, “Oops. It happened. I totally apologize for that. You know, people think we have perfect systems and obviously we don’t.”

In the meantime, OneCity is asking Elections BC to order ABC to desist and remove any signs that were put up without express permission.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Isabella Zavarise and Andrew Weichel