Hamilton officials identify unregistered signs opposing Ward 8 candidate

The City of Hamilton has identified signs and advertisements appearing to “smear” Ward 8 councillor candidate Dawn Danko as coming from an unregistered third party.

Pictures sent to CHCH News by Danko’s campaign team show the unregistered advertisements read, “Stop the Danko Tax Hikes.”

In an email to Danko’s campaign team, city officials add some of the signs have been found to say, “Hamilton Ontario Christopher Collins info @ concerned tax payers of Hamilton.com.”

Hamilton officials say anyone spending money to support or oppose a candidate must register with the City as a third-party advertiser.

According to section 88.7 of the Municipal Elections Act, “the municipality may require a person who the municipality reasonably believes contravened the section or caused or permitted the contravention, or the owner or occupier of the land on which the contravention occurred, to remove the advertisement or discontinue the advertising.”

The City says residents will be advised by elections staff that the advertisement is “inappropriate” and comes from an unregistered third party. They add that any of these signs and ads should be removed if found.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Hamilton’s 2026 municipal election