A Greater Sudbury council candidate is frustrated by the number of his election signs that have gone missing, and police are warning members of the public that theft or vandalism of election signs is a crime.
Ward 1 candidate Bob Johnston reached out to Sudbury.com after discovering 30 of his election signs had gone missing.
“(I) would like to inform the people of Sudbury that taking election signs is a theft,” Johnston said. “As of today, (I) am missing 30 signs across Ward 1. I would recommend that all candidates for council be aware and work together on this matter. For me personally, it's double the work as I suffer from a lower left leg amputation.”
North Bay Police Const. John Shultz says in Canada, it is an offence to cause damage to property you do not own. For election signs, the charge would be Mischief Under $5,000.
"Mischief under $5,000 can be classified as either a summary or indictable offence. Summary offences are less serious than indictable offences,” Shultz told BayToday.com.
"If the Crown elects to proceed summarily, the accused can face a fine or a maximum possible jail term of six months. If the Crown proceeds by indictment the accused can face up to two years in jail. Most Crown Attorneys will likely seek a restitution payment from the accused as well to pay for the damage," Shultz said.
Johnston asked all candidates and residents to band together to help prevent the theft or vandalism of election signs, which are a significant expense for municipal election candidates who don’t have the financial support of political parties the way nominated candidates at the provincial or federal levels do.
-with files from BayToday.com
