Wards 7 and 8 Coun. Charmaine Williams was the only member of Brampton council to vote against a motion allowing residents to place “Please Slow Down” signs on their lawns after a long fight with city staff over their permissibility.

Williams has butted heads with some fellow councillors and the city’s bylaw department since January 2019 after handing out lawn signs — which had been deemed in violation of the city’s sign bylaws — to residents as part of two separate non-city-sanctioned campaigns.

Her first sign campaign was against legal cannabis shops in Brampton early last year while the second involved plastic yellow signs carrying the message “Please Slow Down — Kids are back at school” as part of a back-to-school safety initiative. In both cases, the signs directed residents to a website that partially promoted the councillor.

In both cases, the city said the signs violated the city’s sign bylaw and residents could be fined for placing them. However, earlier in January, the city said no residents had been charged or fined for placing the signs on their properties.

Williams has consistently claimed her signs don’t violate the bylaw. The dispute has caused the city to launch a review of the sign bylaw and is allowing residents to place the “please slow down” signs on their lawns without fear of penalty until the review is complete.

“That in the interest of balancing freedom of speech with the visual landscape of signage in Brampton, that the usage of signs identifying an elected official or candidate (referring to a Member of Council, provincial or federal office, or including a photo, website or social media link thereof), not be permitted until such time as the review of the Sign Bylaw 399-2002 has been concluded or an amendment thereto has been considered by Council,” read the motion table by Mayor Patrick Brown and seconded by Wards 3 and 4 Coun. Martin Medeiros on Jan. 22.

Everyone on council except Williams was in support of the motion, which passed with a 10-1 vote.

“This amendment or this motion that we’re voting on allows the signs to be put up,” said Wards 3 and 4 Coun. Jeff Bowman. “They were allowed to be put up to begin with. So, we’re just continuing what’s being allowed but there is going to be no reference to any particular candidate (or) any particular candidate.”

However, Williams took issue with the part of the motion prohibiting the use of photos or website and social media links.

“The 'please slow down' signs that we have that has a website on it does link to a picture of me and it links to my phone number so that people know who they are getting the signs from. Something they are allowed to do,” Williams told council.