Katherine Woodard never imagined she'd be complaining about a sign, but she says the giant glowing "S" outside Scotiabank Arena is so bright it's keeping her up at night.

"I find it frustrating," she told CBC Toronto. "It definitely has added stress to my life."

Woodard's condo is located near the corner of Yonge Street and Lake Shore Boulevard, about a block east of the arena, which is at Bay Street and Lake Shore.

She says in the past few weeks, with the bright lights from the sign on the southeast side of the arena streaming in from between or above the blackout curtains in her bedroom, she's awake until midnight when the sign turns off.

She says she also has trouble watching television now, with the glare of the lights flooding into her living room.

The sign glows solid blue when the Maple Leafs are playing, red for the Raptors. It shines with multi-coloured lights on other nights.

City investigating

She isn't the only one who's annoyed, with the City of Toronto confirming it's received between five and 10 complaints about the sign.

The city says it first heard from upset residents last fall and began an investigation at that time. In a statement, the city told CBC Toronto that investigation ended when "the owner responded by advising that the sign would be adjusted."

Woodard first registered a complaint with the city through 311 on Feb. 7. The city responded and said it has launched another investigation.

She wrote to Scotiabank Arena the same day through its Facebook page but still hasn't heard back. She's since sent another message through the arena's website.

The sign on the southeast side of Scotiabank Arena lights up Katherine Woodard's living room, making it difficult to watch her TV. (Submitted by Katherine Woodard)

The city's statement says the sign bylaw (Chapter 694 of the Toronto Municipal Code) would apply in this case.

"The sign is permitted to operate between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. and whenever there is an event taking place at Scotiabank Arena," meaning the hours could be longer on game or concert nights.

The maximum allowed brightness of the sign's screen is 300 nits. Nits measure brightness or visible light, where one nit is equal to the light that one candle gives off in one square metre.

As part of the new investigation, the city said staff will inspect the sign's brightness and hours of operation, working with the owner to ensure it complies with the bylaw.

Sign has dimmed, Woodard says

For the last couple of nights, Woodard has noticed that the sign isn't as bright. She thinks it may have been dimmed by the city or arena and while she says the brightness is now "livable," she's afraid the fix is temporary.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the arena's owner, has not yet confirmed to CBC News that it has dimmed the sign.

City staff also say it isn't the only professional sports complex that's raised the ire of neighbours; people in Liberty Village raised a similar complaint about the glaring lights from a sign at BMO Field two years ago.

Even before it gets dark, the gleaming 'S' on the Scotiabank Arena can be seen from far away. (Submitted by Katherine Woodard)

In that case, the city said the lights were too bright due to a technical issue, which was later fixed.

Woodard sounds almost apologetic as she talks about the issue, saying she wants to support the home teams that play at the arena, but doesn't want the bright lights.

"They probably put a lot of money into that sign... it's really well done," but to her the solution is obvious.

"I personally think they could just dim it a bit more so it's not infiltrating the condos."