A request to place business signs along the Grand Trunk Pathway wasn’t a good idea in the opinions of city councillors at the monthly council meeting Nov. 30.
Virginia Goddard, who’s developing the Sleeping Beauty Estates housing complex with her husband, asked council about putting signs advertising the housing along the trail, saying the signs would show a train engineer, Kermode bear and train.
Mayor Carol Leclerc asked if motorists driving 60 km/hr would be able to read the signs.
Goddard said yes if the signs were half the size of the fence or the size of the fence that separates the pathway from the CN tracks.
Councillor James Cordeiro said he appreciated people wanting to promote their businesses and that the Sleeping Beauty Estates was doing a service to help alleviate the city’s housing issue, but with so many businesses in town, wondered how can a decision can be made to favour one business over another when it came to who should be on the signs.
“I’m not sure the community is keen on having the Grand Trunk Pathway used for that purpose,” he added. “I think there are other avenues for advertising. I wouldn’t support signage on there in the manner described.”
Councillor Sean Bujtas said the Grand Trunk Pathway was very attractive and that placing signs all along its fence was not a good idea.
He described a recent road trip in the interior where he said billboards littered the scenery and that it was not a pretty sight.
Councillor Brian Downie said the pathway was a signature entrance into the city and he wouldn’t like to see signs up there. He said he had seen enough signs along the walking route as it was during the federal election.
Election signs put up he’d had enough of seeing signs there during the election season.
Councillor Lynne Christiansen agreed with the others saying once you allow some signs along the path, it’s hard to take it back. “Some communities look bad with signs scattered all over the place. I don’t want to see that happen,” she said.
Council voted unanimously to receive Goddard’s proposal for information only.
