The posts are in the ground and the sign is soaring above for all to see. A new billboard from the City of Campbell River stamped with the words “Supporting Aquaculture and Forestry” can now be found at the corner of Dogwood Street and Hilchey Road, across from Beaver Lodge Lands.
Back in July, city council directed that signs be installed to signal community support for the industries as two major contributors to the local economy.
Because it was found both faced challenges last year, a volunteer business recovery task force group outlined ways the City could support the industries. Billboards were listed as an effective way to show support, while also capturing commuters’ attention.
Along with the Dogwood Street sign, which is around 8 x 16-feet in size, another is set to be installed on the North Island Highway near the Norm Wood Environmental Centre, according to a City report.
However, the original plan was to actually install three billboards beside existing city entrance signs — Jubilee/19A, north Campbell River on Highway 19, and south of the airport on Highway 19 — but that idea was ultimately scrapped.
“Unfortunately, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will not permit billboard signage on their roadside, so we provided some alternative locations on City property within the city,” city manager Deborah Sargent told My Campbell River Now.
As well, city council gauged whether the local Tourism Advisory Committee would like to be part of the signage, or if they’d rather the messaging stay specific to the other two industries.
Earlier this summer, in a letter to council committee chair Paul Dowler said the committee felt the use of these signs could be “very detrimental” to the local tourism industry, as many visitors to town might not actually be in support of aquaculture or forestry.
