Brampton passes motion to ban election signs on private property. Could Toronto follow suit?

You won’t see as many lawn signs in Brampton during the lead-up to the next election.

Council unanimously passed an amendment to the city’s sign by-law, restricting the display of election posters on private property to only appear in windows or windows in doors; this includes residential and non-residential lands.

A city spokesperson said the motion passed “in response to overwhelming resident complaints.” The city says this would reduce the proliferation of signage that causes visual clutter and driver distraction, mitigate the environmental impact of signage and reduce costs.

“Lawn signs are an outdated, expensive and ineffective campaign tactic which has become a nuisance for residents, and a huge expense for candidates, their municipality, and the environment,” said councillor Rowena Santos.

“There is no data that shows lawn signs are effective in increasing voter turnout for any candidate or overall in any election.”

The city noted that the new regulations would also eliminate the opportunity for signs to be tampered with.

Santos said residents can express their political support for candidates “without the drama, distractions and financial and environmental costs.”

“Traditional door-to-door canvassing together with printed and online materials combined with visual support on windows will make for exciting platform-based campaigns and end the sign wars.”

Toronto expected to keep election signs moving forward

Certified candidates running in the most recent Toronto municipal election were able to install campaign signs across the city.

CityNews previously examined how effective lawn signs are in influencing a vote. Donald Green, a professor of political science at Columbia University, said that while they won’t make or break an election, they are reasonably helpful.

“The answer seems to be something between one or two percentage points,” Green said at the time. “It’s not nothing, but it’s not going to close the gap.”

For municipal elections, election signs in Toronto can be displayed 25 days before election day.

In May, a Scarborough MPP discovered more than a dozen of her campaign signs were vandalized with hate-motivated graffiti.

Mitzie Hunter told CityNews that her team received an email from a local resident “who was outraged,” noting that a community member discovered the signs, covered with hateful, racist graffiti in the Ellesmere and Markham area. Hunter was eventually re-elected to her ward.

In Toronto, residents can file reports to 311 about election signs, and if there is a complaint or information about a possible violation, city by-law officers are within grounds to investigate, educate and take enforcement actions.

If Toronto candidates and residents are issued a summons to court and convicted, they may have to pay a fine of up to $100,000 or a daily fine of up to $10,000 for each day the violation continues.