NDP’s University—Rosedale incumbent takes down campaign sign in constituency office

Jessica Bell, the NDP’s incumbent MPP for University—Rosedale, took down a campaign sign that likely breached parliamentary convention on Thursday after QP Briefing inquired about it.

Putting up partisan signs in an MPP’s constituency office contravenes parliamentary convention, according to the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, a charge that has been made against Bell before. The sign, which reads "Re-elect Jessica Bell" and prominently features the NDP logo, was posted on the front entrance of the building that houses Bell's constituency office on Bloor St., just blocks away from her campaign office.

QP Briefing asked Bell about the sign but was redirected to the NDP’s central campaign, which issued the statement: “This sign was put up in error and removed right away.”

On March 31, Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake issued a report on Bell’s use of constituency resources for “partisan purposes.” Bell admitted the breach to Wake “promptly” and reportedly took “refresher training” with her staff. Wake did not recommend a penalty because the breach of protocol was “inadvertent.”

During the election period, the integrity commissioner doesn’t conduct “any inquiries into alleged breaches of the (Members’ Integrity Act, 1994) or parliamentary convention during the election period,” a spokesperson for the commissioner told QP Briefing, meaning Bell won’t be investigated for the latest campaign sign snafu.