Debate surrounding school tax continues, with new controversy over signs against tax

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Large, red anti-school tax signs that have been popping up around Metro Vancouver are furthering the divide between people who are opposed to the NDP’s tax and those who support it.

Complaints about the signs from proponents of the tax have prompted the City of Vancouver to take some away, frustrating the homeowners who’ve put them up.

Cecilia Welsford, who lives on King Edward Ave in the West Point Grey area had one of the signs on what she says was her property but it, along with her neighbor’s was pulled down by the city last week.

“I don’t think you should be able to squelch free speech because one person is being a vigilante and telling them to take signs down,” she tells NEWS 1130 “I don’t even understand why the city is jumping like this, it’s bizarre.”

While Welsford says the city told her they have no record of taking her sign, the city tells NEWS 1130 it has impounded some, although it doesn’t have an exact number. The city says it’s received numerous complaints about the signs and that only the ones that are violating by-laws by being on city property are being taken away, adding people can retrieve it for an impound fee.

Justin Fung with Housing Action for Local Taxpayers says he’s personally reported several of the signs.

“These are very large, very garish signs that have been put up and a lot of it is really spreading a lot of misinformation and a lot of hate,” he tells NEWS 1130.

He believes they amount to propaganda. “It does appear it’s actually all the work of one group or one person who is organizing to have all these signs printed off and I’m sure it’s quite an expensive endeavor,” he adds “I think it’s not particularly healthy to the discourse around the school tax.”

Welsford doesn’t believe the signs are spreading misinformation, adding there’s more misinformation on Attorney General David Eby’s claims the tax is a school tax. She also wonders why the city is appeasing the people who are complaining about the signs.

“Honestly, who cares, it’s a sign, right?” she says, comparing it to real estate signs and garage sale signs “I mean, what’s behind it? That would be much more interesting. Why they’re cherry picking and why they’re jumping to a certain group’s request to remove signs.”

Welsford plans to replace her sign, saying they educate neighbors.

“A lot of people are not really politically involved. I don’t think I would have known that unless I saw the sign.”

The school tax will see a 0.2% surtax put on the assessed value of homes worth between $3 million and $4 million and 0.4% on homes worth more than $4 million and has been the subject of a number of rallies, particularly in the West Point Grey area targeting MLA Eby.

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