'There are signs everywhere': High election engagement in Paris, Ont.

 

It might be hard to tell the Ontario municipal election is less than two weeks away in some southwestern Ontario communities with few election signs on display.

But the small town of Paris, Ont. appears to be bucking the trend on a lack of engagement often seen in municipal elections.

In the 2018 municipal election, the average overall voter turnout across the province was 38 per cent, according to the Association of Municipalities Ontario.

Low voter turnout at the last municipal election. The people of Paris tell CTV News, there seems to be a lot of interest this year.

 

“There are signs everywhere,” one resident said.

“We just said ‘let’s go ahead, put the sign up,’” Another resident said, who had an election sign displayed on his front lawn.

From street shoulders, to street corners and people’s properties, it’s a sign of the times and the people of Paris are proud of it.

“This year, there are a lot more people engaged,” one person told CTV News.

“There’s mail arriving in the mailbox from all the candidates,” explained another.

A main issue residents brought up when it comes to what may have shot up engagement this year is the significant growth the town has seen.

“When school is getting out and people are getting off work, it’s ridiculous getting through Paris,” one resident said. “I think a lot of people want to make sure that with all the construction and new housing, the traffic issues keep getting addressed,” said another.

Voters seem to have different ideas though about how they want to tackle the growth.

“We would like more communication as to what is happening around us and where it's going,” one resident said.

“We need that third bridge through Paris, they've been talking about that for 30 years,” said another resident.

Meanwhile, others talked about just wanting to ensure Paris maintains its individuality as the town and County of Brant continues to grow.

While residents may have different ideas and hopes as they head to the polls, most can agree they like what they see in Paris. And when it comes to engagement -- any sign is a good sign.