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I am a proud citizen of St. Albert and have a concern regarding our last election. Although we, as a city, backed by the council, have expressed that we do not want publicity boards all over our city and have banned them, during the election a visual disgrace was permitted in allowing an absurd amount of redundant electoral signage throughout St. Albert.
Moreover, I cannot neglect to mention the horrendous impact this has in reducing our ecological footprint through such senseless waste. On many occasions the signs were blown around, knocked down, and even left behind after the election. I found this aesthetically incongruent with the city’s vision, as well as visually offensive. I felt that my vision was being violated by having to be confronted with all those signs throughout the campaign. Do we really want people voting for someone just because they have seen their name posted all over the city innumerable times?
On the other hand, I want to express that I find it very unjust that the people that had the most financial backing, thus able to make the most signs, were the ones that received votes. May I ask you is that democracy, that the ‘underdog’ is not given the same electoral rights as those that have the financial backing?
In an article in the Gazette I read that the city council wanted to encourage women to run in the campaign, yet two of the ones that ran did not even have a chance because of lack of financial support and resources. In supporting such a system we are endorsing an injustice in not giving the same advantage to all. Three of the candidates that I voted for — two for council and one for the Protestant school board — were young and had fresh and innovative ideas to bring to our city, however they were pushed out, I believe in part if not in whole, by the fact that they were discriminated against by our system.
I think that this should be addressed before another election so as to preserve the beauty of our city, and the rights of our candidates.
Nadine Pasay Silva, St. Albert
