“The biggest part of this sign I had for the last election when Dalton McGuinty ran and it was up the entire election – not a single complaint,” he said.

Burrows said the city would have also requested he take down the sign after three days if they had known about it during the last election.

“We don’t necessarily know about all the signs that are out there, but when we are made aware of it we take action,” she said. “When I saw this, I am confident this is a temporary personal sign and not an election sign. This is a personal message and that’s the difference.”

Burrows said if Magyar does not remove the sign on Sunday, he could face a fine between $100-$325. Alternately, he could challenge the case in court.

“We can give him a ticket or take him to court, whichever he would prefer,” she said. “If we go to court on it, obviously the fines are identified under the Ontario Municipal Act and the current fine is up to $25,000 for penalty for non-compliance.”

Magyar said he hasn’t decided whether to take down the sign on Sunday.

He told the Post today he will be contacting his local councillor, the mayor and McKenna for help.

“One-hundred-and-twenty-five dollars is a big deal, but if I take it to court I’m told it could cost $25,000,” he said. “I’m retired. I don’t have that kind of money.”

He said he believes he has a right to freedom of speech.

“It’s about free speech and my right to express my political views without directly insulting any individual,” he said. “The line ‘Stupid is as stupid does’ comes from Forrest Gump. It’s been on TV for over a decade. It’s a catch phrase. Nothing on the sign is not true. It is all true, it’s been checked. Of course, they say that’s not the issue. I’m pretty sure it had to be politically motivated.”

Meanwhile, the city is experiencing problems with infractions of party signs for local provincial candidates on city property.

“Back at the beginning of May at the call of the election, I sent out an advisory to all the candidates indicating they cannot put their signs on city property and if they do, we will remove them and it will cost them $80 to get them back, per sign,” she said.

However, city staff has been busy removing signs for weeks. Burrows estimates they have collected at least 500 signs. Not one has been claimed by the various parties involved.

“It’s probably the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Burrows, who has worked with the city for 12 years. “I’ve been here for a number of elections and so far, this one is the worst.”

She said the majority of the retrieved signs are for Liberal and Conservative candidates, with a smaller number of NDP candidates’ signs.

Information on the city’s sign bylaw can be found at http://bit.ly/1kCS8jc.