CRAA June 2025 Newsletter
“Signs, signs, everywhere a sign, do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”
SIGNS, SIGNS EVERYWHERE A SIGN …..
During a community meeting in January 2025 , signs (provided by a CRAA director) sprang up across the community.
A defiant presentation by residents, who displayed their disagreement and objection to the proposed ASPHALT PLANT.
When a few signs went missing in March, it was believed to be a prank, but on April 24th, every single sign on Telephone Road disappeared. Residents, now much more observant, snapped pictures of the truck the signs were being loaded into.
The trucks belonged to the Township Cramahe.
It seems, according to the Township CAO, residents had complained about Federal Election signs on the road, and the township responded, because, they have the right to remove signs especially if some signs were on Township property. It was understood that it was only Election Signs on Telephone Road that were to be removed by the Township.
Now, the Election at this point was only 4 days away, on April 28th and in fact NO election signs were removed.
No For Sale Signs, No private small commercial signs, ONLY “STOP THE ASPHALT PLANT” SIGNS were removed and stored in the Municipal Building.
As the Township CAO explained to not only to me but also to the OPP, it was the part time student staff, that DID IT!
All residents who had STOP THE ASPHALT PLANT signs removed from their property could come down to the Municipal Building and collect their property.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The protection of freedom of expression is premised upon fundamental principles and values that promote the search for and attainment of truth, participation in social and political decision-making and the opportunity for individual self-fulfillment through expression (Irwin Toy Ltd. v. Quebec (Attorney General), [1989] 1 S.C.R. 927 at page 976; Ford v. Quebec, [1988] 2 S.C.R. 712 at pages 765-766).