Owen Sound Moves To Restrict Election Signs To Local Candidates
Election signs in Owen Sound will soon be limited to local candidates only. Council approved Sept. 22; final vote scheduled Oct. 6, 2025.
Owen Sound voters won’t see campaign signs for neighbouring municipalities in the next election.
On September 22, 2025, City Council approved a recommendation to amend its Election Sign By-law so that only candidates running in races that include Owen Sound electors can post signs within city limits. For example, a candidate in Georgian Bluffs’ municipal race will no longer be able to place signs inside Owen Sound.
The amended by-law will be brought back to Council for formal passage at the October 6 meeting and will take effect immediately.
Other tweaks are technical: changing references from “Election Help Centre” to “Election Centre” and correcting a typo in the sign height rules.
Staff also noted that some municipalities have taken it a step further by banning all election signs on public property, citing visual clutter, costs, and fairness issues.
Owen Sound has not proposed that step, but councillors could still debate it before the 2026 municipal election.
Download the City of Owen Sound’s election signs fact sheet here.
Source: City of Owen Sound