【5.25日】列治文市政府对中文招牌决议
汉加:活动的提议者Kerry很失望。
大温列治文市的商店中文招牌争议不断，部分居民呼吁市府立法监管。市议会25日晚决议不会针对中文招牌设附例限制，改由透过指引和规范橱窗海报和广告大小，改善现状。
列市议会25日晚一致表决不会立法要求商铺只能使用英语招牌，但考虑效仿素里市，限制商铺橱窗广告和海报所占面积大小，另外通过指引方式，对商户展开教育和引导，鼓励使用中英文双语招牌，但并非强制。
市议员区泽光26日受访时表示，不鼓励立法限制中文招牌是担心因此引起宪法挑战，加上中英文存在差异，在招牌上的字体特点和大小也不同，不易管理和限制，因此决定不采取硬性管理方案，改由教育和宣导等手段，促进族裔和谐和平衡。
他还指出，目前素里市对橱窗海报和广告覆盖面积限制在25%，列市计画参考，预估在两个月内制定详细计画，届时管理办法将适用所有语言的广告和海报，而非仅限中文。
有居民认为，对於一个长期存在的问题而言，市府提出的措施只是权宜之策，并不会带来实质改变。
列市中文招牌争议由来已久，市议会早在1996年就曾试图让市内商户自愿性在招牌上列出至少50%的英文，但19年过去并没改变;2013年3月，两名列市居民带著千人签名想市议会陈情，要求对中文招牌泛滥做出改善。本月初，华裔社区人士也呼吁商户在中文招牌中增添英文，缓和争端。
Council decides not to impose sign bylaw for languages
Instead, the City of Richmond will amend its sign bylaw to "de-clutter" secondary signage
Business owners in Richmond will continue to be able to erect signs in any language of their choice.
On Monday Richmond city councillors unanimously agreed that a bylaw requiring English on city-sanctioned business signs, is not required.
Councillors followed the recommendation of Cecilia Achiam, director of administration and compliance, that the city need not use a stick approach to businesses with non-English signs.
Rather, a carrot — in the form of advancing “community harmony” through consultation — has been chosen as the best approach to solving the divisive issue.
The decision disappointed community activist Kerry Starchuk, who noted the city has attempted public forums on “inter-cultural harmony” as far back as 1996.
“Twenty years later and it hasn’t changed,” said Starchuk, noting a new bylaw amendment (approved concurrently by council) that will “de-clutter” all secondary signage (regardless of language) in the city will continue to be complaint driven.
Notably, while the amended bylaw aims to reduce signage, here are no changes to non-city sanctioned signs, such as real estate signs and bus shelter ads.
According to Achiam’s report, since December 1,550 visual inspections and 877 door-to-door meetings have taken place by city officials, who found 13 signs solely in a language “other than English.”
Achiam relied on the opinion of socio-economic geographer Dr. Dan Hiebert, who presented at a community workshop on signs at the University of B.C. who concluded, in a city-sanctioned study, “linguistic landscapes cannot accurately be used as a platform for measuring degrees of social harmony.”
Online public input to the city during the process found the vast majority of residents (only 16 per cent neutral or positive) felt non-English signs were negative for the community in some form.
A language specific bylaw that could stand a challenge under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms would need to justify proven “social welfare objectives are at stake…in the absence of regulation,” according to legal advice given to council last October by Valkyrie Law Group.
Once a supporter of a language bylaw, Coun. Carol Day said she was pleased with the progress being made through consultation, which should continue before implementing a mandatory bylaw.
Coun. Chak Au said a language bylaw in Richmond Hill has never been challenged legally.
“I don’t think we have to follow their example when we can do it in a better way,” said Au.
Hiebert noted Richmond Hill used a multi-faceted approach.
Coun. Bill McNulty praised the report and called the sign issue “just that.”
Coun. Harold Steves acknowledged the issue runs larger than just signs. He said non-English signs hurt the community and drew other parallels to how the city is disconnected, noting the prevalence of “ghost homes” owned by foreign, non-residents.
He noted when he grew up in Richmond, the Japanese community never put up Japanese signs, but rather chose to learn English.
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