Town of Redcliff looking into possible portable sign bylaw revision

By Justin Seward

Commentator/Courier

Dustin Turcotte, co-owner and operator of Postcard Portables Mini Billboards, Signs & Printing, came in front of Redcliff town council on Sept. 28 to discuss his concerns about the time length of portable signs on business properties.
Currently, in the town’s portable sign bylaw, there is a limit of 120 days for a portable sign in a calendar year and Turcotte wanted to open conversation about having the possibility of no limit.
“We want to have the discussion about amending that so that there is no time limit,said Turcotte. “Meaning that
businesses that get or keep the proper permits in good standing and up to date would be allowed to use aportable sign year round with no restrictions on how long they can use it.”
Most of the portable signs being used in the town currently are all businesses that have been using them for years, he added.
“ It was only recently that one of the sign providers made a poor decision to place a sign on a property, which caused a complaint,” he said
“And as a result council informed the town staff that they were to begin enforcing the portable sign bylaw, which had been mostly ignored for the last decade.”
Turcotte believes the sign business is cost effective. “With how the Alberta economy and COVID have effected small business owners,”he said “We truly feel it’s more important then ever for local business to have cost effective solutions for services like advertising and marketing in order to keep Redcliff residents spending their money in town and not travelling into Medicine Hat for everything.”
The second part is that if a business has the space on their property and receive a permit approval after meeting the other criteria, Turcotte added his business sees no reason why they should be forced to limit the use to only 120 days, assuming the business keeps up with the permit up to days and renewed each year.
“We understand that this wording may have been in place because in the past portable signs may have potentially been a problem esthetically,” he said.
“But this industry has come long way and outdoor/portable signage can look very professional and often enhances the commercial appeal of a property and plaza by drawing positive attention to it.”
Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick says there are two parts to it.
“If you have a sign on your property, that’s not a big deal,” said Kilpatrick.
“But when you have a sign that’s not on your property, that’s when the 120 days kicks in. One of the examples he used was Tim Hortons. I don’t care if Tim Hortons has a sign on their lot. They can have it there forever because it’s their sign, or even if it’s not their sign, I don’t care who owns it. But if they’re advertising their product in their yard-I don’t care. But what that was originally intended to limit was people advertising off site. Like if somebody put up a sign on Broadway Avenue, advertising on the other side of town.”
Council approved the motion to refer the matter to administration to have a look at the bylaw and bring back to a future council meeting.
Redcliff Community Garden
Council approved to waive the Redcliff Community Garden’s annual water fee of $215. 30.

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