An Ottawa woman who had a Conservative campaign sign mysteriously planted on her yard this week is angry that she faces fines for its removal.

Cate Worton woke up Tuesday morning to find a sign supporting Ottawa Centre Tory candidate Damian Konstantinakos sitting next to her sign supporting NDP candidate Paul Dewar.

Cate Worton pulled a Conservative campaign sign from her yard Wednesday after it appeared there next to her own NDP sign earlier this week. (CBC) "The idea that someone else would put a sign up on my property without my permission is really upsetting to me," Worton said Wednesday.

The sign wasn't the only surprise. A note was left on her doorstep giving instructions on how to donate to the Conservative Party.

Worton said she thought long and hard before putting up the NDP sign, as roadside campaign materials let everyone know who you support politically.

"It really solidified my decision about who I will be supporting in this campaign," she said. "I'm just really unhappy when someone tries to impose on what is my right, which is to say who I'm going to be supporting."

Worton called the Conservative campaign office, and then Elections Canada to file a complaint.

On Wednesday morning, she received an email from Elections Canada explaining that their mandate "does not cover the situation you described" and they "are therefore not in a position to help."

Sign-removers face fines of up to $1,000

She also found out that if she damaged or even removed the sign, she could face fines under the Canada Elections Act.

"I was a little perturbed that their big concern was whether I took down the sign, not that the sign had been put up without my permission," Worton said.

A spokesperson for the Konstantinakos campaign said the sign was likely put there by mistake.

Nonetheless, Elections Canada said they've received a number of similar complaints of political parties of all stripes putting up signs without permission.

Elections Canada warns that anyone caught removing a campaign sign could face fines of up to $1,000, whether it's on your property or not.

Worton, for one, is taking her chances.

Two days after the sign went up, no one had come by to take it down. So she decided to save them the trouble and pulled it out herself on Wednesday.