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Council candidates weigh in on election sign interference

October 22, 2026   ·   0 Comments

Ten candidates report having nearly 70 signs tampered with since start their campaigns in late August

By Sam Odrowski

At least 10 candidates in Orangeville’s municipal election say their signs have been damaged or stolen, and some have run out of replacements.

Candidates who responded to the Citizen reported nearly 70 signs have been stolen, destroyed or damaged during the campaign.

Vivian Petho, who’s seeking election as councillor, said her sign was damaged late last Thursday night at Centennial and C-Line.

“When I went to pick it up on Saturday, I could see that it was cut in two with some kind of blade,” she told the Citizen. “I took pictures and made a Facebook post to inform other candidates that their signs were also slashed. From the advice of another candidate, I reported to the OPP.”

The previous weekend, Petho said there was an incident at County Road 109 and Centennial Road, where multiple candidates’ signs were ripped out of the ground.

“I am out of signs at this point, so if any more are damaged, I have no more for replacement,” said Petho, who bought her signs for $40 each with money from a donor.

Council candidate Carrie-Anne DeCaprio found one of her signs on C Line nearly split in half, early last week.

“Unfortunately, I had no replacement signs left, so I moved the sign from my own front lawn to replace it,” she said.

Incumbent councillor candidate Joe Andrews said he was among several candidates whose signs were slashed with a knife or razor blade in the same area. He added that photos of the damage were shared with local police.

“It is a criminal offence, period. If you get caught, the rules of the law will be enforced,” said Andrews, who’s had about 25 signs vandalized or stolen during his campaign.

He told the Citizen election signs are not inexpensive and if someone wants to express their frustration with a local matter, they should reach out for a civil conversation instead of damaging personal property.

Theft and vandalism aren’t unusual during an election, but that this year it has been constant since the first days that signs were allowed, according to Andrews. He told the Citizen 38 of his signs were stolen and never found in 2022, compared with about 25 so far this year.

Incumbent councillor Rick Stevens, who’s seeking re-election, said he has lost around 25 signs, mostly along Hansen from Blind Line to First Street. Councillor candidate Sandra Pratt shared that about 10 of hers were taken on the very first day, from Hanson and Parkinson Street.

Pratt told the Citizen keeping up with fixing, replacing and monitoring signs has been a big job, and the Town of Orangeville should be focused more on enforcement.

“I feel if bylaw had been out doing their jobs making sure that the sign bylaw was being respected it might not have happened,” she remarked.

Since nominations closed in August, the town has received 33 sign-related complaints, 18 of them specifically about election signs, according to Orangeville’s clerk Raylene Martell. She said seven complaints were found to not be in contravention of the sign policy, five were resolved through voluntary compliance, five resulted in penalty notices being issued and one remains active.

“The election sign-related complaints received by the town have involved sign location and placement,” said Martell. “The removal of, theft of, or damage to election signs is not enforced under the town’s sign by-law. These matters may be criminal in nature and should be reported directly to the Ontario Provincial Police for investigation.”

Councillor candidate Tricia Hebert didn’t purchase a large number of signs for her campaign in an effort to be environmentally and fiscally conscientious, but noted the benefits of name recognition are difficult to ignore.

Two of her large signs were sliced down the centre and smaller ones have been damaged or removed across town.

“I think it’s a mix of random, senseless vandalism and perhaps frustration with signs littering our streets,” Hebert said. “I certainly don’t want to minimize the damage to personal and private property and the severity of this matter, but I am sensitive to how many people are currently struggling with the high cost of living.”

She continued, “I can see why election signs have become a target of that frustration, as they are perceived as a frivolous expense during an economically challenging time.”

Councillor candidate Matthew Smith said he’s aware of only one sign being tampered with.
“It was removed from the metal H frame on private property on Amelia St.,” he told the Citizen. “The resident whose lawn it was on said she captured audio of a group of people at night on her camera but unfortunately didn’t capture any video.”

Lindsay Lupton, who’s also running for councillor, said almost every weekend she has had her signs thrown into nearby bushes or destroyed.

Incumbent councillor Debbie Sherwood, who’s seeking re-election, said sign damage and theft are common during municipal campaigns, often leaving candidates to spend additional time and money replacing them.

“I do not suspect any of my competitors of being responsible for removing or destroying my signs. I believe we are all running a respectful campaign as that has always been my approach,” said Sherwood.

Councillor candidate Boubah Bah, a retired law enforcement supervisor, said suspected election sign theft or vandalism should be reported to police with any available evidence.

“After knocking on more than 1,000 doors during this campaign, I am convinced that the overwhelming majority of Orangeville residents are respectful, law-abiding citizens who strongly condemn such behaviour,” he said.

“These unfortunate incidents should not overshadow the respect, civility, and community spirit that characterize our town.”

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