Liberals target of most complaints
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Dec 01/00) - Over-exuberant campaign workers are to blame for Liberal Party signs being placed too close to polling stations on election day, says campaign chair Lynda Sorensen.
Sorensen said on Sunday night campaign workers removed a row of Liberal signs along Old Airport Road and placed them around polling stations.
"I don't know why they did that. It certainly caused some consternation. As soon as I could figure out what was going on we sent people out to remove them."
Signs too close to polling stations at Northern United Place and Ndilo were removed by 9 a.m., Sorensen said.
Voters irked about the closeness of both Canadian Alliance and Liberal signs at the entrances to Sir John high school, location of another polling station, were out of luck though.
"There are some signs that are close to polling places," said David Connelly, chief electoral officer for the Western Arctic. "In all cases they appear to be not on the surface and not on the property of the landlord of the polling station, so there's nothing we can do under the Act."
Connelly said campaign organizers -- he wouldn't say for what party -- had voluntarily agreed to remove signs thought to be too close to polling stations.
Canadian Alliance campaign organizer David Wind said he had not received or heard of any complaints about his party's signs.
Another complaint sparked by Liberal signs centred on a series of signs from Northland Trailer Park to the Range Lake North School polling station. The signs had an arrow atop directing the way to the polling station. Sorensen said a solution was negotiated with Connelly in which the last sign in the series leading to the school was removed.
The arrows were placed atop the signs because in previous elections Northland voters have cast their ballots at other polling stations.
