Dog Days of Summer

According to Environment Canada, this was the hottest day I've ever canvassed. They weren't wrong. I spent the day up behind Sir William Osler school and as a newer neighbourhood, the trees aren't quite as mature as they are closer to the core. I was baking.

Here's a lazy hazy shot of the Dundas Conservation Area from the top of Kirkwood. Just lovely.

I can see for miles and miles

So the issue of the day is election signs. Over the weekend, at the Winona Peach Festival, mayoral candidates Brian McHattie and Brad Clark got into a flap over some flags (I've always wanted to use those words together in the same sentence). You can read more here: http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4777749-mchattie-lodges-complaint-over-clark-s-election-signs/.

"Under city legislation, it is prohibited to erect election signs earlier than 28 days before voting day, with the exception of those at a campaign office." Councillor Clark had a couple of flags on the lawn of a nearby home, which he claimed was a satellite office. It doesn't take too great a stretch of the imagination to see this spiralling out of control.

Election day is October 27th, which means, thankfully, we shouldn't be seeing too many election signs before the very end of September. 

I, for one, would be glad if Hamilton outlawed election signs all together. There are already far too many of those tacky plastic bag signs cluttering up every scrap of grassy land in town. Rather than a barometer of popular support, it ends up looking like a race to see who can produce the most litter. The last thing we need is a bunch more smiling faces lining our streets, swaying in the breeze. The myriad real estate ads are plenty, thanks.

Luckily for me, I'm campaigning in Dundas, which is naturally predisposed to dislike campaign signs. In the 2010 election, one of the candidates for Council got "caught" installing a few around town and Mayor Bratina actually pulled all his signs from our Ward (read more here: http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2172645-election-notebook/).

Running without signs favours the incumbent since their function is to grow name recognition. Naturally, back in 2010, "on his website, Powers said he will not be putting up signs". There is no incumbent this time around so that point is moot (or as a friend of mine insists on saying, moo - as irrelevant as a cow's opinion...).

In a bold move, one of the candidates in Dundas does have a few signs posted around downtown. I am unsure how this will play out.

In any case, I am going to limit my signage to installing my Cactus Fest banner up in front of my house (campaign HQ) some time after Labour Day. That's it. I promise.