X Marks the Spot

PHOTO: Zoran Churchin's idling billboard truck. You'd think candidates would know that idling is a bad idea. Even if not Churchin's fault, he should know that it's not particularly "green" to send a truck out 10 hours a day to drive around a billboard.

A Mississauga provincial election candidate's idling billboard truck polluted the post-debate air of triumph Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory was hoping to bring to Mississauga earlier today.

The diesel cube truck with large "elect Zoran Churchin" signs on it sat idling in front of Mississauga South PC candidate Tim Peterson's office for about 14 minutes, finally moving as Tory's bus pulled into the strip-mall parking lot.

During a media scrum after Tory's stump speech, Tory was asked if it was acceptable for the truck to be idling before his arrival.

"I will raise this with (Churchin) before I leave here today and indicate to him we've all had to learn the lesson of making sure we don't have our vehicles idling, and I'm sure someone just did that through inadvertence," said Tory.

After Tory warned Churchin against idling, Churchin told The News he was unaware the truck had been idling.

"If I'd seen it, I definitely would've stopped it and when I see the man driving the truck, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

When asked if it's a good idea to have a truck driving around Mississauga all day for a month spewing emissions just to advertise, Churchin admitted it was a rookie mistake.

"I'm not endorsing anything like it," he said of the single-purpose advertising truck, which drives around the city for 10 hours a day. "I was advised to do it from people who have used it...this is my first time running and I would not do that again."

During the media scrum, Tory also said he would not endorse that form of advertising for candidates.

"Everybody has to learn to change their habits in Ontario society, and that includes politicians and everybody else," he said.