The other day, I drove up the Hump a little way and turned around to get an impression of the entrance to the Alberni Valley. On the way back down I found a very attractive sign saying “The Alberni Valley Welcomes You”. It is a little unfinished, but you would hardly notice it. There was a squabble between politicians and funding which prevented it from being finished.
When I got down to Coombs Country Candy, I had to stop and take a picture. Literally, there were signs as far as you could see down the road. Any sign that is in that stretch stand an excellent chance of not being seen. And there are some way-finding signs that could easily be missed amid all the others. It reminds me of places I’ve been where a mob of beggars has besieged me. One’s reaction is to close up and get out of there. It speaks to certain desperation in the community. 
For years, this area has been a lightning rod for critics who want to make a good impression on the traveling public, and have agitated for their removal. I was, and still am among them.  In fact I wrote about it in the AV Times about 4 years ago, just before the last sign Bylaw was enacted in May of 2008. At that time, there was no specific bylaw addressing signs. The Regional District had zoning in place that didn’t specifically mention billboards or third party signs as an acceptable use. Rather than creating a bylaw that did not permit billboards on these properties, or that would phase them out over a period of time, the Regional District cemented them in place legally. There is only one way to get them to come down.  If they rot, blow down or are destroyed in some other manner. And if the owners maintain them, they will be there indefinitely.