Pita Jack owner Gerhard Loeffeler says he is continuing his lobby to eliminate a District of 100 Mile House bylaw prohibiting sandwich board signs.
There are about 450 names on his petitions so far, and he will approach District council with it shortly, he explains.
While this still won't allow him to place the sign beside Highway 97, which is "very, very important" to attract customers, Loeffeler says he wants focus on this and other "business-unfriendly" bylaws.
This story began last fall, when the District bylaw officer ordered the A-frame sign removed, leading Loeffeler to address council on Jan. 20 about getting the ordinance changed.
This is when he discovered the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) prohibits third-party signs on its right-of-way (RoW).
At that meeting, Mayor Mitch Campsall agreed to talk to MoTI about the issue, but noted the situation did not look "hopeful" for Loeffeler due to ministry legislation.
Adding another twist to Loeffeler's ongoing battle, MoTI approached him at Pita Jack on March 31 and told him to removed the sign from the RoW, as it had received a complaint.
"I had just put it back out [by] the highway because it is not in the jurisdiction of the District."
However, Loeffeler says it was the District that complained.
"They can't get me with their own bylaws, and now they file a written complaint with Highways to remove my sign. Isn't that ridiculous? It's more proof of how business-unfriendly the District is."
MoTI area manager-roads Terry Murphy clarifies that he didn't, and won't, reveal a complainant’s name due a privacy policy. MoTI does respond to all complaints about third-party signs on its rights-of-way, including some others in the process of being removed now, he adds.
District chief administrative officer Roy Scott says he did request MoTI follow up to get the sign removed – but that it was "not a complaint."
"The District requested highways enforce the provisions of the Highways Traffic Act to not allow signs on its boulevard without a permit."
The same action would be, and is, occasionally taken for any other prohibited RoW sign within the municipal boundaries, but this isn't often required, Scott adds.
He explains most people just remove them upon request by the District, with no need to involve MoTI, such as another sandwich board sign it followed up on early last week.
Loefeller says he doesn't know what he'll do now. The local restauranteur notes he could place a sign on a truck parked out front, except the District has is a two-hour limit on parking there that would cause him to move it several times each day.