County of Brant Council discussed recent increases in advertising signs during its regular Council meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
Though not formally part of the agenda, Councillor David Miller brought the issue up during the other business portion of the meeting.
“Driving around the County, I’ve obviously been seeing election signs, but I also see a lot of commercial ones. These signs, they just seem to be everywhere. You see them in the road allowances advertising masonry or roofing work, or high-speed internet,” he said. “You see them on roundabouts, which always frustrates me, and on hydro poles up high and down low, and I’ve even seen one on a stop sign at the end of Keg Lane. I find sometimes they block the line of sight when you’re driving and if you are putting them on a hydro pole or roundabout, I think you’re probably putting somebody else at risk because you’re stopping traffic and what not. I’m just wondering, what is the process for dealing with these signs because they seem to be proliferating quite a bit, in my opinion.”
Cindy Stevenson, General Manager of Emergency and Protective Services, responded saying there are a couple ways to deal with commercial signs.
“One is that our bylaw enforcement team does proactively enforce signs, as resources permit. So if they do see a sign that’s in violation of the bylaw, they will remove it, follow up, and call the company and take care of it that way,” she said. “Alternatively, if there’s a specific concern, any resident or member of Council, for that matter, could contact bylaw enforcement to launch a complaint, and bylaw will follow up accordingly to investigate it.”
Miller thanked her for the answer, saying, “It’s good to know that it’s sort of being dealt with directly, and can be dealt with if somebody calls. I’ll let people know.”
Councillor Lukas Oakley also shared his point on the matter, mentioning that he’s also noticed an influx of advertising signs where they shouldn’t be.
“I’ve seen people stop in quite dangerous places to put up these signs. I think people forget that a hazard light is not a ‘park anywhere’ button,” he said. “I was going down Rest Acres Road the other day when I saw a gentleman driving his Accord down the multi-use path to take signs down and put different signs along some fencing there, so some people are driving fairly flagrantly, endangering others to put up those commercial signs.”
Mayor David Bailey asked if organizations like Lansdowne Children’s Centre were allowed to promote fundraisers.
“Are there different kinds of signs that are allowed and some that aren’t?” he asked.
Stevenson said certain signs are permitted depending on the use.
“There is some complexity to the sign bylaw and what’s allowed and what’s not,” she responded. “I always recommend that if people have a specific question about it, they should contact bylaw and get some clarification.”
In the end, it was also mentioned that for those who are advertising such events via signs, they should be immediately removed once the event date has passed.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
