PHOTO/IMAGE COURTESY:Barb Michalsky Facebook
A ‘Not Notley’ sign along Highway 3 at Burmis is drawing the attention of the MD of Pincher Creek.

‘Not Notley’ sign to come down, says MD of Pincher Creek

By Laurie Tritschler
Shootin’ the Breeze Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
May 18, 2023
After receiving a complaint, the MD of Pincher Creek has asked a resident to take down an election sign.

The MD of Pincher Creek has asked a resident to take down a political sign from their property, citing the MD’s land use bylaw, which requires permitting for a broad spectrum of free-standing signs. 

Development officer Laura McKinnon said the MD received a complaint about the sign on Thursday, May 18. The sign, which went up on a Burmis property owner’s fence line along Highway 3 at some point in the provincial election campaign, shows a graphic of a stop sign and bears the slogan Not Notley. 

The land use bylaw (1289-18) specifically exempts “election signs” from any permitting requirements, according to Section 55.10, subsection (i), but the bylaw doesn’t explicitly define what an election sign is.

 

Advertisement
Group of people in orange T-shirts standing together on a poster seeking nominations for the Direct Energy Volunteer Citizen of the Year

 

“There is definitely a precedent for this,” McKinnon told Shootin’ the Breeze

In years past, homemade signs for and against the expansion of coal exploration on the Eastern Rockies and signs for and against logging also violated the bylaw and the MD requested that some of these be taken down, McKinnon said. 

Billboards, canopy signs, free-standing signs, portable signs and other types of signs are considered discretionary uses and require permitting from the municipal planning commission, which sits on the first Tuesday of every month.

 

Advertisement

 

The agenda for the commission’s next meeting (Tuesday, June 6) has been finalized, meaning the next available opportunity to apply for the necessary permitting would be Tuesday, July 4 — 36 days after the provincial election. 

Alleged bylaw infractions trigger notifications and requests for compliance by the MD. Formal, written requests are sent to property owners in the case of ongoing infractions. The MD can issue stop-work orders for alleged violations that continue past that point. 

The MD informally contacted the owner of the property at issue on Thursday, asking that the sign be removed. 

No letter or stop-work order has been issued, according to McKinnon.

 

Advertisement

 

Anyone in the MD is free to put up official election signs anywhere on their property, according to the bylaw. 

Election signs can be put up on public land, provided the signs are put within safe distances from roadways, according to Alberta’s Election Act. However, election signs are not allowed to imitate traffic control signs, including stop signs, according to the Government of Alberta’s website. 

MD council passed the land use bylaw in 2018. Enforcement is driven primarily by residents’ complaints, McKinnon said.

 

Albertans head to the polls Monday, May 29.

Advanced voting is open May 23 to 27.

For voter information, including polling stations, see pages 9 to 11.

View Crowsnest Pass election forum videos here: Part 1, Part 2

Individual candidate statements:

Dylin Hauser – Alberta Liberal Party

Kevin Van Tighem – Alberta New Democratic Party

Kevin Todd – Alberta Party

Erik Abildgaard – Independent

Corrie Toone – Independence Party of Alberta

Chelsae Petrovic – United Conservative Party

 

Advertisement

 

Related articles:

Livingstone-Macleod Candidates Make Last Appeals At Crowsnest Pass Forum

‘Not Notley’ Sign To Come Down, Says MD Of Pincher Creek

Scheduling Conflicts Derail Livingstone-Macleod Election Forum In Pincher Creek

Pincher Creek Health-Care Forum Draws Large Audience

UCP Candidate Calls Out Heart Attack Survivors

Claresholm Politician Enters UCP Nomination Race For Livingstone-Macleod

Read more Livingstone-Macleod articles

Advertisement
Interior of arched barn and exteriors of two barns promoting Heritage Acres as a wedding venue
Care to leave a comment?
Scroll down!
Like this story?
Click a link to share on social!
// Code example
 <div id="myid" class="myclass" hidden> 
Lorem ipsum <strong>dolor</strong> sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
</div>
Leave a Reply
Young woman in blue vest and jeans holds her steer's halter while a man in a light-coloured cowboy hat examines the animal. In the background is a green field, mountains and a blue sky.

Current Issue

Print and Digital Subscriptions
Individual Digital Copies

Advertisement
Group of people in orange T-shirts standing together on a poster seeking nominations for the Direct Energy Volunteer Citizen of the Year
Advertisement
Willow Tree figuring of man and woman with hands and foreheads touching together in an ad for wedding gifts from Christine's Gift Shoppe
Advertisement
Get more from your dentist at Ascent Dental
Advertisement
Delicious looking ribs on ad promoting Twin Butte Country General Store as a bachelor or bachelorette venue
Logos for Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association, News Media Canada and Government of Canada

News from southwestern Alberta and your local community connection

Office hours 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday
697A Main Street | PO Box 811, Pincher Creek, AB T0K 1W0

403-904-2227

Copyright 2011–2023 Shootin’ the Breeze.
All materials on this website are protected by Canadian copyright law and may be used only with permission.