Signs

Faded Signs on our side streets

SAHRA noticed that some of our No Parking/Standing/Stopping signs are faded/illegible so we did an inventory of faded signs on all the SAHRA inner streets.  These were then submitted to Councillor Mike Colle’s office who submitted requests to the City for the signs to be replaced.  We are happy to report that faded signs reported on Belgrave and Felbrigg have been replaced and requests have been submitted for replacements on Wilson, Brooke, Ridley, Apsley, and Elm/Esgore.  These replacements should be done by the end of August.

Update – we are pleased to report that as of Oct, 2019 only two sign replacements are outstanding (on Wilson by the Armour Heights Public School).

We are also pleased to report that a suggestion for increased safety by one of our residents by the Armour Heights Public School has been acted on by the City (Transportation Services).  No Parking signs have now been added on Belgrave just north of Ravenhill on the east side and on Belgrave south of Ravenhill on the east side.  No Parking signs did not exist before and drivers parked too close to the corner.  Having the new signs up has reduced parking there and the area is safer for it.

SAHRA Monitoring

Each month, SAHRA reviews the Sign Permit Applications on the City’s Building Applications website to determine if there have been any new applications or changes in the status of past applications.  This information is reviewed by the SAHRA Board for any areas of concern, in which case, SAHRA contacts the department responsible for Sign Permits.

SAHRA has prepared an Inventory of the rooftop billboard locations that existed at the time of the study (associated with the Avenue Road Avenue Study) in 2009.  We monitor the Sign Permit Applications and the street for any changes to these sites.

Public Consultation Input on Sign and Billboard Regulations

In 2014/2015, the City of Toronto was looking for input from the public and business owners on potential changes to the City of Toronto Act and the Toronto Sign Bylaw. The proposed changes would increase the City’s ability to implement and enforce the Sign Bylaw. At the January 8, 2015 meeting of the Planning and Growth Management Committee, staff recommended that Council request the province to amend the City of Toronto Act so that the city’s Sign Bylaw could apply to signs and billboards that existed prior to the current Sign Bylaw being enacted. If approved by the Province, the amendment to the City of Toronto Act could restore the level of authority back to similar levels that, prior to 1983 existed for municipalities in Ontario and that currently exist in other large Canadian cities (e.g. Vancouver and Montreal).

In response to the staff recommendations, City Council requested that staff hold public and stakeholder consultations on this request to the Province to report back to council in April 2015 on how the city should address existing non-conforming signs if the Province amends the City of Toronto Act. All residents, property owners, businesses, and members of the public were invited to attend workshops in Feb and Mar, 2016 from to speak with City staff about their thoughts and ideas on this subject. Specific issues considered as part of this consultation included:

• Which signs and billboards should the current Sign Bylaw apply to?
• To what extent should the current Sign Bylaw apply to lawfully existing signs and billboards that don’t meet the current requirements of the Sign Bylaw (because they existed prior to the current bylaw being enacted), if at all?
• If existing signs and billboards don’t comply with the current Sign Bylaw and were required to comply, how should the City go about achieving this?

Staff Report March 25, 2015

Sign By-Law Information