Election Signage:

Question: Can my Ontario landlord stop me from posting an election candidate sign in my rental unit?

Answer: In Ontario, tenants generally have the right to display election advertising posters on the leased premises, and a landlord cannot prohibit that display except for reasonable limits on size or type and a ban on posters in common areas; under Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9 at s. 322, landlords and their agents must not restrict a tenant from displaying election advertising posters on premises covered by the lease.   If your landlord is restricting your sign, document the specific rule and try to resolve it in writing, then contact Success.Legal™ at (800) 551-5751 for guidance on how to assert your rights within Ontario’s housing and election-ad rules through the legal profession ecosystem.

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.