CBRM takes aim at bright electronic billboards near homes

Cape Breton Regional Municipality may soon begin regulating and charging permit fees for large electronic billboards.

One sign in Sydney is close to a residential neighbourhood and people living there are annoyed by the brightness of the advertising.

"Whether I'm downstairs in my basement, in my kitchen or up in my bathroom or my daughter's room, I can see a giant Big Mac staring me in the face 24/7," said Kat Alleyne.

The electronic billboard is on Grand Lake Road, about 30 metres from Alleyne's home on McGuire Drive.

It quickly cycles through ads for fast food, a federal business agency, a national lottery and several local businesses.

Resident says she doesn't need to turn her lights on

Alleyne said at night, she has to close four layers of heavy curtains so her daughter can sleep.

"I have every light off in the house," she said.

"I don't even need night lights in my house. It's like I have a tonne, but I don't need them on."

Alleyne said she understands the need for businesses to advertise, but she's hoping for some kind of compromise.

"I'm not saying they should take it away, because I understand a lot of people do notice the signs and the advertising on it," she said.

"But shouldn't there be a certain hour of time it's shut down for the evening, like [when] there's not heavy traffic flowing through that late at night? Something that can be convenient or fair with the people that live around the area."

Sign company makes changes

Pattison Outdoor Advertising is the company that owns the sign. Sherry Kirwin, general manager of Atlantic operations, said the billboard's electronic settings were adjusted remotely by computer on Tuesday.

"We looked at the settings this morning when we got the complaint," she said. "We did a few adjustments and it should be fine and we don't expect to have any other complaints from the local citizens.

"The time clock was off, so when it would be supposed to dim when it would start to get dark, it was actually not dimming for a number of hours after it should have, so there was just a quick setting adjustment there, and also a brightness setting that we made more consistent to what it should be at night time."

Kirwin said until now, the company has not received any complaints about its electronic billboards.

Company says it welcomes bylaws, regulations

She said the company has digital signs all across Canada and it welcomes regulations that make the rules clear for everyone.

"Actually it's a positive that there are bylaws and regulations set up, because it does help so that we don't interfere with the community and the residents," Kirwin said.

Coun. Jim MacLeod pushed council to ban ads on utility poles last year and helped strike a committee to look into large black mobile signs with neon lettering.

MacLeod said the committee hasn't produced any results yet, and now electronic billboards should be added to the list, because they are starting to intrude into people's homes.

"While I appreciate the committee, I also have to appreciate that we've got ... environmental eyesores," he said.

"I can tell you that you would think you're sitting watching the hockey game, and the flash of colours, you know, nobody should have to put up with this."

MacLeod said the municipality's planning department will hold a workshop on Feb. 4 to consider where mobile signs and electronic billboards should be permitted, whether they should have minimum setbacks from homes and whether a permit fee should be charged.

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