Item - 2021.EC21.12

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:  

1.  City Council amend Article II, Election Signs of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 693, Signs as follows:

a.  remove the requirement that City staff must provide notice to a candidate within 24 hours of the sign being removed;

b.  require that the name of a candidate be displayed on election signs in a manner that is clear and legible; and

c.  clarify that signs greater than two metres above ground level are permitted on windows and balconies.

2.  City Council amend Article II, Election Signs of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 693, Signs to:

a.  increase the maximum fine to $100,000;

b.  include offences for obstruction and failure to provide information as required;

c.  designate each offence as a continuing offence with a maximum daily fine of $10,000 and a total fine which may exceed $100,000; and

d.  include authority to enter to inspect, to make orders to comply, and to take remedial action.

3.  City Council amend City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 693, Signs to require that election signs be placed no less than one metre from other election signs on private property without the consent of the owner or occupant or on public property without the consent of the owner or occupant of the abutting property.

4.  City Council authorize the City Solicitor, the City Clerk, and the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to restructure, consolidate, and simplify all existing requirements, including enforcement provisions, to improve the readability of Article II, Election Signs in City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 693, Signs.

This report provides an overview of the current rules surrounding election signs, and recommends changes to improve the enforcement and administration of election sign regulations.

Election signs are regulated by Article II of the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 693, Signs. As directed by City Council in September 2020, staff in Municipal Licensing and Standards conducted a review of the City of Toronto's election sign rules. Posters, temporary signs (for example, A-frame, open house, and mobile signs), and signs regulated under the Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 694, Signs, General, were not part of this review.

A comprehensive review of election sign regulations was completed in 2017. This resulted in City Council amending Chapter 693 to modernize regulations, align them with changes to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, and respond to concerns previously raised by the Ombudsman and the Auditor General. This year's review provided staff with an opportunity to consider the impact of those changes. The review included a stakeholder engagement process with both Members of Council and the public, an analysis of enforcement data from the 2018 municipal election, and a review of current enforcement processes.

The review found that the City received fewer complaints related to election signs during the 2018 municipal election than in 2014, pursued more enforcement action for non-compliance and proactively removed a significant number of signs. However, stakeholders and the public identified concerns around timely enforcement, the environmental impact of signs, as well as signs that are placed unlawfully or in excessive numbers on public property which can result in clutter, distraction, and potential safety concerns.

In response to this feedback, this report recommends bylaw amendments, an enhanced enforcement strategy, as well as strengthened education and communications efforts to address these concerns.

This report was prepared in consultation with the City Clerk's Office, Legal Services, Solid Waste Management Services, and Transportation Services.