Municipal election campaign signs stolen in large numbers across Quebec

Jonathan Tabarah has been going door to door and hanging up signs with his name on them for weeks in Montreal's South Shore.

As soon as the municipal election campaigns kicked off across Quebec, his team rushed to install hundreds of signs on neighbourhood lawns in his Longueuil district.

And then the calls started pouring in.

"Many calls from citizens that were concerned in the area because their posters had been stolen," he said. "They woke up and saw that their posters weren't on their properties anymore."

Around 60 of them vanished, and Tabarah is not alone.

With just one month left before ballots will be cast and counted, candidates across the province are tripping up on the same unexpected hurdle as they try to capture voters' attention.

Election posters are being stolen at rates some say they've never seen before.

'This time it's organized'

Tabarah said four or five posters going missing isn't unusual, "but 60 is very uncommon because this time it's organized. It's not someone who just randomly takes a poster for whatever reason."

Tabarah said he thinks it's dangerous for democracy to attack an idea or a party because of a political disagreement.

His team filed a police report. Officers are looking for a suspect, described as a tall, slim, man, as he was recorded by security cameras.

But there are other victims across Quebec.

Saint-Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance was elected after running unopposed, but she noticed about a week ago that a quarter of her posters are gone.

"Financially, it hits us and the community. So that's not the way. If you want to voice your disagreement, go vote, go run, get involved," she said.

Gatineau incumbent Coun. Isabelle Miron had to send her volunteers out again after, in the span of about two nights, nearly all of her signs went missing — about a dozen large posters.

"My campaign manager took it very badly. Normally, the role of the campaign manager is to motivate her candidate. That morning, I was the one who consoled her because she was in tears in front of all the work that had been done and brought to nothing," said Miron.

In Quebec City, the theft of election posters affects all parties. 

Report incidents to police, says Elections Quebec

Marie-Josée Asselin, who is seeking a first term as municipal councillor, had installed nearly 70 posters in the streets of her sector. More than half were stolen.

"In a democratic exercise, everyone should be able to show themselves off. People should be able to know their candidate and then make a choice accordingly," she said.

Radio-Canada has learned there are reports of signs being stolen in Sherbrooke, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Trois-Rivières as well.

A spokesperson for Elections Quebec told CBC news these incidents should be reported to police. 

The spokesperson said, even though there are caps on how much candidates are allowed to spend on a campaign, the cost of replacing stolen posters won't be considered in that budget.