Calgary homeowner's surveillance video captures thief nabbing election signs

A Calgary man's home video surveillance camera captured someone with their face covered snatching his election sign during the night, and those of his neighbours.

Phil Ivers was walking his dog when he noticed that about a half dozen signs in his Shaganappi neighbourhood had vanished, including his Liberal lawn sign. He went home and checked his home surveillance video camera to see a car stop in front of his house around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night.

The black-and-white video shows a car slowly driving down the street at night when the driver stops and snatches a federal election sign, throwing it in the back of the car, before moving on to another front lawn.

"I saw this guy pull up... he comes out, his face is covered with a ski mask or scarf or something," saidIvers.

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Ivers says he knows that at least one Conservative sign and about four Liberal signs were stolen on Tuesday night in his Calgary Centre riding.

"We thought at first it could have been kids, but somebody had a car, they had their face coveredthey were intent on doing this."

Calgary CentreLiberal candidate KentHehr who is taking on Conservative incumbent JoanCrockatt, NDPJillianRattiand Green Party candidateThanaBoonlertalso reported more thefts of campaign signs in the past 24 hoursin the communities ofShaganappi,Killarneyand Elbow Park.

Hehris reporting that more than 10 per cent of his 2,000 lawn signs have gone missing in the past 24 hours. He estimates up to 250 are gone. One large sign was even dismantled with a drill.

Polarizing race

Ivers believes this federal election is nastier than in the past, but a spokesperson for the elections commissioner says that doesn't seem to be the case based on lawn sign thefts.

"We're sitting at about the same number of complaints five or six days out from the election.... In fact, we have a slightly lower number this time around than we did in 2011," said Michelle LaLiberte.

Ivers says he doesn't understand why someone would do this.

"I think somebody is getting scared that one candidate is ahead and they think that maybe this is going to somehow give somebody else a chance to pull ahead, but I don't think it will work. It's just sad that somebody is thinking along those lines," he said.

Meanwhile, police are investigating the thefts.