Election Signage:

Question: Can a landlord in Ontario stop my tenant from putting election campaign signs or posters on the rented unit’s premises?

Answer:   In Ontario, Paralegals and Lawyers’ Office to Serve You, Benchmark Legal Offices can help tenants understand that they generally have a right under the Canada Elections Act to display election advertising posters on the premises covered by the lease, and that a landlord is usually not allowed to prohibit those tenant posted signs, though they may set reasonable size or type limits and can prohibit posters in common areas; if you need guidance on what is “reasonable,” where the sign can be placed, and how to respond if a landlord issues a removal demand, contact Benchmark Legal Offices at (289) 389-8840 for support.

Tenants Have a Right to Use a Sign to Promote an Election Candidate

In Canada, as a free and democratic society, all persons may choose to support a particular candidate in an election; and, with very few exceptions, post signage in promotion of a preferred candidate upon the premises that such persons occupy.  This right expressly includes persons occupying rented premises; and accordingly, a landlord is forbidden from restricting the posting of election signs by a tenant.

The Law

The Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, Chapter 9 prescribes the protection provided to a tenant who wishes to advertise or promote a favoured candidate.  Specifically, the Canada Elections Act states:

Conclusion

A landlord may restrict election posters or signs to a reasonable size.  Additionally, a tenant holds the right to place a poster or sign only within the rental unit; and accordingly, a landlord may forbid posters or signs from being placed upon areas beyond the rental unit occupied by the tenant.