Economic Action Plan signs

And the government was so concerned with the placement of “Economic Action Plan” signage that Prime Minister Stephen Harper received briefing notes on the sign count from Canada’s top civil servant…

The “Update on Signage” memo, marked “Secret” and obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information, goes on to list the total number of signs – 5,275 – installed to that date. It cites 3,840 more that “have been ordered or are in production.”

“Departments have been using alternative methods for signage installation in order to sustain visibility by placing signs in windows, on buildings or employing other temporary measures,” Mr. Wouters wrote of the winter conditions.

The signage was so critical, in the government’s estimation, that contracts for project funding hold back up to 20 per cent of the federal cash until a “certificate of substantial completion” is filed – including photographic proof of sign installation and, in some cases, Global Positioning System co-ordinates of the sign’s exact location.