Signs point to spirited byelection battle in Preston riding

The Preston byelection is being hotly contested both on the doorsteps and in the exchange of words from the opposing parties.

“People are generally concerned about the proposal for a private dump in Lake Echo and they voiced their concerns to our candidate, Carlo Simmons, and he’s taken it upon himself as someone who wants to be their representative to advocate on their behalf,” Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said Wednesday from the campaign trail.

“He’s sent letters to the Conservative government and they have not been clear whether they are going to support a moratorium or not,” Churchill said. “This is a big issue out in Lake Echo, Mineville and surrounding area and our candidate is the only candidate that has stepped up for the community and is trying to fight back against the proposal.”

Stepping up included erecting signs and distributing flyers in the riding, located some 20 kilometres northeast of downtown Halifax, that stated the PC government led by Premier Tim Houston has done nothing to stop the dump and to vote for Simmons.

One thing the Progressive Conservatives have been clear on is that they consider the signs and flyers to be out of line.

“The signs, and accompanying print flyers, suggested a dump was being proposed for the community that the Houston government was not doing anything to stop,” Jordan Croucher, the PC communications manager for the Preston campaign, said in a Tuesday news release.

“The flyers also suggested the minister of Environment and Climate Change ignored the Liberal candidate’s letter on the issue,” the release said.
 
“The reality is, there was no application to the provincial government for a dump in the Lake Echo area, and the minister of Environment and Climate Change ensured a response was provided by the department to the Liberal candidate’s letter on this matter.”

The PCs also wrote to Elections Nova Scotia in late July, requesting that the signs and materials be removed because they were “misleading the public by fabricating an issue that currently does not exist.”

Signs must come down

Chief electoral officer Dorothy Rice responded to the complaint on Tuesday, saying that she asked the Liberal party to back up the content of the campaign signs and door knockers. 

Rice said she did not feel that the Liberal party properly represented the facts of the matter and instructed that all signs regarding a proposed dumpsite be removed by 12 a.m. on Thursday and the immediate cessation of the circulation of accompanying flyers and door knockers.

“This is the worst kind of politics,” Barbara Adams, the MLA for Eastern Passage and the chairwoman for the Preston PC campaign, said in the PC news release. 

“It’s incredibly disappointing the Liberal campaign in Preston would resort to blatant fear-mongering for political gain,” Adams said. 

“The Liberals are clearly anxious to hold onto this seat that they have held for 20 years and are willing to do anything, including mislead the voters of the Preston riding, in an attempt to keep it,” she said.

Churchill said Elections Nova Scotia was responding to the Conservative campaign to silence the Liberal candidate.

“If Tim Houston wants to deal with people’s concerns over this, he should just tell them whether he supports a moratorium or not on that site proposal,” Churchill said. “He’s done that before so there has been precedent for it. He said no to the Cabot expansion in (West) Mabou before an application came in and he could do the same here but instead of telling the people his position on this dumpsite, he’s taken it upon himself to silence our campaign on it and brush this issue under the rug.”

The byelection in Preston will be held on Tuesday and there are five candidates vying for the seat vacated by Liberal Angela Simmonds on April 1.

The other candidates, aside from Carlo Simmons, are Twila Grosse of the PCs, Colter Simmonds of the NDP, Anthony Edmonds of the Green Party and Charles Taylor of the Nova Scotians United Party.

The Liberals have held the current 16,400-hectare riding east of Dartmouth and previous variations of it for the past 20 years.

The majority PCs hold 31 seats in the 55-seat legislature, the Liberals have 16 seats, the NDP six and there is one Independent.