Who would have thought that signs would turn out to be such a contentious issue in Richmond? At my first All Candidates Meeting in Richmond, I said that I would like to see business signs at least 50% English. I had no idea there were so many people in support of this!
My vision for Richmond is one where we are a single community that is inclusive and welcoming. In order to be inclusive, we have to make people feel welcome. We welcome people with our actions and our words. If our words are incomprehensible to half of the population, then we are not inclusive. (My own campaign brochure is one side English, one side Cantonese.)
There are people from other areas of Metro Vancouver who are not comfortable coming to Richmond because they do not feel welcome as they cannot understand the signage. Surely we also have tourist visitors who also feel this way. This feeling does not encourage people to come and spend money in our stores and restaurants. This sense of alienation is not good for business – for anyone!
For many newcomers, the lack of English signage makes it too easy to get by day to day without learning English. By having signs in 50% English, people begin to recognize the English words and learn the language. We want our new immigrants to learn English and be a part of our community – we do not want them to be afraid or isolated in their homes due to language issues.
We need to create a policy whereby: “We in Richmond are an inclusive community”. We show that we are inclusive by having our signage in at least 50% English.
I don’t believe that we currently need a bylaw to enforce this policy – just as there is no written rule that we don’t use certain words when referring to others (such as the “N” word). Businesses that are inclusive will ensure that their signs reflect the policy and businesses that are not interested in being a part of the Richmond community, will do what they like and suffer the economic consequence when people stop patronizing their businesses in favour of “inclusive businesses”.
If, in a few years, there is no visible difference in the signage, then I would be in favour of creating a bylaw and enforcing it – the same as in Quebec, where sign laws have been in place for decades. I would, however, prefer if we could show our commitment to our community voluntarily.