Those six fines alone accounted for $53,050 of the total $62,275 in total fines issued last year.

“Staff have continued to undertake to fully record and investigate offending company names and telephone numbers and conducted extensive research, including corporate searches, in order to obtain enough information and evidence about the offending companies to issue requests for prosecution,” wrote Morrison in his report.

The city hired two part-time bylaw officers in 2016 to focus only on illegal signs and overnight parking infractions, and is also exploring technologies to better track offenders. The city requests higher fines for repeat offenders.

“The combined increase in the number of investigations, education, enforcement, and prosecution has been successful in deterring numerous companies from using illegal signs,” Morrison added.

While the city encourages residents to report signs to bylaw enforcement when they come across them, it is asking people not to remove the signs themselves for investigative purposes and possible liability issues.

The city’s commitment to addressing nuisance signs has seen a huge spike in the number removed since 2012, when the city removed just 6,181 signs. That represented a 431 per cent increase in just five years.

Morrison’s report also addressed dumping, litter and debris on private property. The city received 1,406 complaints from residents about messy yards in 2017. It also proactively investigated 224 other properties for a total of 1,630 investigations.

Twenty-eight properties we cleaned up by city contractors, with six of them forced to attend court. The remaining cases were addressed by the property owners themselves.

“Where the homeowner fails to clean up the debris, city staff co-ordinate the attendance of a contractor to remove the debris,” wrote Morrison.

“The enforcement of litter and debris removal from private property, in addition to the prosecution of those who illegally dump refuse and debris remains a top priority for Enforcement and By-law Services,” he added, noting the city employs six summer students each year to assist in enforcement of these matters.

Residents wishing to report illegal signs on public property, or litter and debris on private properties, should contact the city by dialing 3-1-1.



