The Gargoyle: Ottawa's housing company took my signs, too, Liberal candidate says

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Ottawa West-Nepean Liberal candidate Anita Vandenbeld says she’s had election signs confiscated from public-housing units in the riding she wants to represent, too.

Vandenbeld called a little late to make it into this story based on complaints from the Conservative candidate in that riding, Abdul Abdi, but she said Tuesday she’s had the same problem as he has. Like Abdi, she says she’s lost about 50 signs in two neighbourhoods.

“Last election we had signs all over there and it was never a problem,” said Vandenbeld, who’s running for the Liberals a second time.

But this election, it appears the Ottawa Community Housing Corp. is being more stringent about a rule forbidding election signs in common areas of its housing complexes. Those include tenants’ front lawns, if the housing agency handles the grass-cutting and other maintenance. The Canada Elections Act says tenants are entitled to put candidates’ signs up on property they rent, subject to “reasonable” restrictions on their sizes, but landlords can forbid signs in common areas.

“We’re just at the stage of trying to understand the restrictions so we can comply with them,” Vandenbeld said.

New Democratc Party candidate Marlene Rivier said she hasn’t put any signs up yet. Like Vandenbeld, she’s campaigned before and, like Vandenbeld, she said she’s not known the housing agency to take away signs in the past.

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