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ELECTION: Public space invading signs

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Smitherman election sign placed in Downsview Memorial Parkette

The City of Toronto has some of the strictest regulations in Ontario regarding the placement of those ubiquitous election signs that come with every election. For example, election signs can only be put up on October 4, 2010, three weeks before Election Day. In many suburban municipalities, such as Vaughan and Oakville, signs went up weeks ago. The only exception in Toronto is for campaign signs erected at campaign offices, which can be displayed starting in July.

The City has very specific regulations regarding the placement of signs and their dimensions, especially on public property.

Election signs may only be erected on public streets, boulevards and utility poles as long as the following conditions are met:
1. The candidate has paid an election sign deposit of $250 to the City
2. The street is not prohibited to pedestrians (e.g. Gardiner Expressway or Don Valley Parkway)
3. Election signs are no larger than 1.2 square metres (12.92 square feet) in area and no higher than two metres above ground level
4. On roads without sidewalks, the signs are not located within 1.5 metres of the curb or edge of pavement
5. On roads with sidewalks, the signs are not located between the curb and the sidewalk
6. Signs are not located within 15 metres of an intersection or pedestrian crossover (measured from the curb)
7. Signs are not located on a median or island installed within the road
8. Signs do not interfere with the safe operation of vehicular traffic or with the safety of pedestrians
9. Signs are not erected adjacent to a voting place, City park or a facility that is owned or operated by the City
10. Signs are erected with the consent of the owner or occupant of the abutting property

(From Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 693, Signs, Article II Election Signs)

The sign above is adjacent to the lovely Downsview Memorial Parkette (MOTH Gardens) at Keele and Wilson (photo below) and it appears to violate section 9.

I also happened to see a Joe Pantalone sign affixed to railings on a bridge over Allen Road, which probably violates sections 2 and 3.

These signs are more than likely placed without the knowledge of the candidates themselves, and probably posted by over-zealous sign crews. However, you can take action against any sign that violates the rules above simply by calling 311, who will send a Municipal Licensing and Standards officer to investigate and enforce the by-law. Or, if you prefer, you could also call the the candidate’s campaign office and let them know. It is illegal to tamper with any election sign, even when placed illegally.

The lovely parkette

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10 comments

  2. I would like to ban all signs except say at intersections and mandate a smaller size because…

    –its such a waste of time and carbon

    –They are not a true indicator of support

    –they are often used to create the impression that somebody has it in the bag and de-motivate other voters

  3. I’ve also seen signs on TTC property such as Eglinton West Subway station.

  4. Kind of ironic seeing Ford’s “Respect For Taxpayers” signs blatantly contravening the taxpayer’s municipal code.

  5. Agree with ScottD about the banning of signs, to a point.
    Candidates in local races have a tough time being heard unless they are already high profile (usually part of the big Liberal-NDP-or-CONSERVATIVE party machines)
    Somehow we’ve got to find a compromise that lets everyone get their message out fairly without visual or environmental pollution. Maybe allocating public space bulletin boards in key locales is an answer, but this needs more work and thought.
    The other thing that spending big bucks on signs means is that with the city campaign rebate programs, millions of dollars of taxpayer money sometimes just goes to people wanting to build name recognition for other purposes.

  6. I know that Spacing is opposed to much advertising, especially as it intrudes on public space. Public space is essential for a good democratic society, and these are signs of/for democratic governance. So I wonder if election signs are substantially different than the billboards usually complained about. Yes, there’s a limit  (we don’t want ‘too many’ signs across the city) but I can’t help but wonder if, in rule-crazy Toronto, these rules on election signs are bit excessive. I wonder what the history of these rules are – why does Toronto have the most strict rules about election signs? When/how did this come about? And, why are Torontonians so quick to accept these rules and seem to love finding signs that contravene these rules?

  7. I would like to see an outright ban on all election signs, but I know that’s a long way off. In the meantime, the bylaw is clear about removal of legally-placed signs, but I could not find where in the bylaw it specifically says that it is unlawful to remove an *illegal* sign. Can someone help with that?

  8. Greg, I think you found a hole! While there are lots of rules and fines when the city removes an illegal sign, there doesn’t seem to be any mention of rules if a citizen removes an illegal sign. I would imagine it has to do with such a situation: a person places a sign on your front lawn without your consent and you have the right to remove it yourself (and not have to phone the city and wait for them to come along and remove it).
    If a sign were illegally placed on public property, there might be other rules that would apply. I wonder if it’s technically illegal for a citizen to ‘clean up’ a park?
    Of course, if you remove the sign yourself, that candidate doesn’t get fined.

    Here are the sign rules:
    Short version (pdf): http://goo.gl/3INW
    Long version (pdf)http://goo.gl/ZfT2

  9. Mark, I thought that might be so, but it says elsewhere in the bylaw that the candidate or the property owner may remove a lawfully erected sign on private property. So that doesn’t seem to cover illegal signs either.

    Not that I’m going to go running around tearing down illegal signs. That’s the city’s job. I just point them out to 311. And like you said, the candidate wouldn’t be fined if I remove them.

  10. I find it interesting that, at least in my ward (32), there are few houses with signs for mayoral candidates, but a lot of signs for contestants in the race for councillor. (Almost exclusively Bussin vs. McMahon, probably with the edge to McMahon.) I am not as familiar with the other wards, but from traveling through them (e.g. commuting to work) it seems to be a similar pattern.

    Seems to me that this makes sense — the mayoral candidates get lots of face time and name recognition in the media, and there are constant reports of polls giving a weekly (or even daily) measure of the horse race. Council candidates (particularly non-incumbents) don’t tend to get much mention except in unusual circumstances, and are rarely covered in polls, so signs are the primary means of getting your name out and gauging voter intention. (Ward 32 is getting coverage this election because of Bussin’s prominence and shenanigans and the sense that she is vulnerable this year, but even that coverage is minimal compared to the mayoral race.)