— Town busy with other work before going forward with potentially contentious bylaw —
(OSOYOOS TIMES — November 7, 2007) —
By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times
A sign regulation bylaw for the Town of Osoyoos may still be in the works.
While a proposed bylaw to control the proliferation of signs within the town received first reading at an Aug. 14, 2006 Council meeting, the issue has since faded.
The sign bylaw is still on the list of things that staff is working on, Osoyoos Chief Administrative Officer Helen Koning said last week.
Unfortunately, with so many other projects and priorities, this has fallen back on the list.
The initiative is still one Councillor Stu Wells would like to see come into fruition, though the councillor emphasized instituting such a bylaw is no small task.
One of the absolute toughest, most contentious bylaws a community would ever initiate is a sign bylaw, Wells said. There is a huge amount of work involved.
Implementing such a measure would mean a myriad of legal issues, including opening a proverbial can of worms with individuals in the community who may feel their rights to freedom of expression and free enterprise are being impeded.
It's certainly perceived by businesses to do that, said Wells, adding that sign bylaws generally see more court action than any other municipal measures.
And while the councillor said he understands the need for businesses to keep up with one another, he made it clear that for him, the proliferation of signs on Osoyoos' roadsides is becoming problematic.
In my mind the signs are getting out of control, Wells said, adding that a great many of them are technically illegal. It's getting to be a mess.
The councillor specifically mentioned Lakeshore Drive and its congregation of real estate signs, professing that overzealous signage is detracting from the aesthetic beauty of Osoyoos.
Like Hwys. 3 and 97, Osoyoos' Main Street is the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation. It therefore has the authority to remove illegal signs from these areas. And while it doesn't often act on this right, Wells said that when it does, the ministry simply rips out the signs and deposits them in a nearby gravel pit.
If you want your sign back, you have to go back and dig it out, Wells said. The councillor added that Osoyoos Council recently approached the transportation minister about the issue.
Though for now, the Town remains occupied with other duties.
While it is an issue, there are more pressing ones, Wells said. The councillor said the reason the bylaw was put on the back burner in the first place was so the Town could concentrate on the new Osoyoos Official Community Plan (OCP), which was implemented this spring. Now, he says, the Waterfront Master Plan has taken centre stage, and will be followed by a number of resulting bylaws.
Wells said there is no sign as to when the sign bylaw might reappear before Council.
