Ban Billboards!

Currently there is a controversy in the city of North Vancouver about the erection of advertising Billboards in a scenic area.

The land is owned by the aboriginal Squamish Nation and the laws state that they can place billboards on their land, overriding restrictions placed on the rest of society and local bylaws.

The absurdity of that situation is fodder for another post.

I don't like billboards for two reasons:

Obviously they are unsightly and deface any natural scene that may have otherwise been in view.

They are a safety hazard. The whole point of the Billboard on the roadside is to distract a driver and make his eyes leave the road. Can anyone deny that purpose?

Here in Kelowna we have pretty much the same issue, although the damage has been done. In approaching Kelowna from the west, as you approach our Beautiful Okanagan Lake, the driver is met with a plethora of ugly advertising on these huge monstrosities. A not so nice first impression for tourists.

The land is owned by the Westbank People and, as aboriginals, they are of course immune from the laws that govern the rest of us in these cases.

I've always found it ironic that the same people who claim to "respect the land" are the same ones to deface it for the sake of a few dollars.

I hope the local people of North Vancouver are successful in convincing their local aboriginals to think twice about erecting the signs.

Doing so does more damage then just blotting out the trees and mountains. It also puts another wedge in the relations between the two cultures.