Tourism-Oriented Directional Signage Program

Council for the Regional Municipality of Halton adopted these guidelines in March 2000 for the implementation of a Halton Tourism-Oriented Directional Signage (TODS) Program. The objective of the Program is to provide a cost-effective system of signs on roadways in Halton to direct traffic to qualified tourism-oriented operations in Halton.

Signage for Canadian TODS qualified tourism attractions, services and facilities has been divided into two categories.

Trailblazer Signs (A, B and C)

A trailblazer sign is a sign assembly with the name of the attraction, a directional arrow and distance information, complemented by generic tourism icon. A header sign will be provided if there are more than one trailblazer sign on the same set of posts.

Header signs

At the discretion of the Region, a header sign may be attached to the top of a set ( two or more) of trailblazer signs. The sign, generally with a white background, will depict a stylized "Halton" logo and other symbols or emblems promoting local themes.

Sign types

To ensure legibility and to avoid proliferation of signs on the roadways within the Region, the trailblazer signs shall be placed at or near intersections and/or interchanges of major roadways/freeways. The placement of sign is to be determined by Regional staff based on accepted traffic engineering principles to ensure safe operation of the roadway. There is a physical limit on the number of trailblazer signs that can be placed at any location. The maximum number of routes or approaches that an eligible owner or operator can have signs placed on is two. This limit is to be determined by Regional (or Local) staff based on accepted traffic engineering principles, such as the Ontario Traffic Manual and/or Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada (MUTCD). In order to minimise sign clutter, if possible signs will be installed on existing posts with other TODS signs. Signs with turn arrows will be permitted; signs with straight arrows will only be permitted in rare instances. Sign sizes may be adjusted without notice due to changes in policies and procedures, engineering/geometry changes to the road and right-of-way, or safety concerns.

All signs shall adhere to the signage standard and follow the size, colour and retro- reflectivity requirements as specified in the OTM and/or MUTCD. All signs shall have blue background with a white legend or symbol and a white border.

The owner or operator of an eligible tourism attraction or operation (the "operation") may apply to the Region of Halton (the "Region") for the installation of signs to direct traffic to the operation. Upon payment of the appropriate fees, the Region will acquire, install and maintain the signs in accordance with these guidelines. The signs are the property of the Region. Application may be made for the installation of TODS signs on both Regional and Local Roads.

Eligibility operations

For an operation to be eligible for TODS signs, it must be an operation listed in the Tourism services/facilities eligible for signage list below, and it must meet the basic criteria. The Region will reserve the right to interpret items listed.

Basic criteria

To be eligible for TODS signs, an operation must:

• comply with all applicable federal, provincial and municipal legislation
• adhere to the safety standards and procedures that apply to the industry to which the operation belongs
• serve transient customers
• be open to the general public
• be accessible by public roads
• remain open for at least 12 consecutive weeks a year, 5 days a week
• have one or more of the following tourist-oriented facilities:
  • a reception structure
  • a controlled gate
  • a staffed reception and orientation point
  • permanent interpretation panels or displays
• advertise its location, operating season and hours, contact information, and facilities, either in tourism publications, or in publicity material regularly distributed to Ontario or appropriate regional/local Travel Information Centres

The Region may at any time review the eligibility of an operation. The Region also reserves the right to remove an operation from the program at any time without compensation.

Tourism services/facilities eligible for signage:

• transient accommodations, hotels, and bed & breakfast
• destination accommodations, resorts, and inns
• campgrounds
• theme tourist attraction and theme parks
• interpretative centres (industrial, speciality, and nature)
• farm based tourist attractions (must be a member of the Ontario Farm Fresh Organization if it is a produce oriented attraction)
• farmers markets
• performance theatres
• museums
• antiques, craft and art galleries
• tourist information centers
• downtown areas, hamlets and villages
• heritage conservation districts
• historic/archaeological sites
• Provincial parks
• conservation areas and parks
• botanical gardens
• public trails
• public golf courses
• marinas
• winter sport facilities (downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobile trails)
• equestrian facilities
• air fields and flying operations
• major sport facilities
• zoos
• other

An operation that does not fall into one of the categories in the Tourism services/facilities eligible for signage list or fails to meet all the basic criteria in the eligibility section above may be referred by Regional staff to the TODS Canada for consideration of its eligibility. The TODS Canada decision is final.

The schedule of fees is as follows and may be changed by the Region without notice. Current fees can be found in By-law 63-17.

There are three (3) fees:

1. Application fee—one-time non-refundable fee payable at the time of submission of application; the amount is the same irrespective of the number of signs applied for.
2. Sign fee—one-time fee payable at the time when the sign locations and types are approved by the Region; the total amount is dependent on the number and type of signs approved.
3. Annual Maintenance fee—annual fee payable by every September 30th, the amount is dependent on the number and type of signs approved; failure to pay this fee will result in the removal of all signs related to that operation.

Halton's TODS Rates (2026)

Application fee: $71.28

An application for installation of TODS signs will be processed in the following manner:

• An interested operation submits an application with the non-refundable application fee to the Region, indicating the number, locations and type of signs requested.
• If the operation does not fully meet the eligibility criteria as described under Section 5, Regional staff may refer the application to Canadian TODS for a determination of eligibility. If ineligible, the applicant will be so advised.
• If the operation is eligible for TODS signs, Regional (and Local) staff will review the locations and type of signs requested and determine which of the locations requested are available and the appropriate sign size. The allocation of available sign space at any given location will be based on a "first come, first served" approach, using the date of application as the determinant. A decision on eligibility and placement of signs will be made by March 1 and September 1.
• The applicant will be advised of the locations and type of signs approved and the total amount of sign fees payable.
• Upon payment of the sign fees, the Region will install the signs. The signs will be installed 60-90 days from the date of payment of the sign fees.
• Signs will be inspected every six months for any damages and/or unscheduled removal. In the event that signs are either missing or badly damaged; they will be replaced without cost. Although signs will be monitored by the region twice a year, it is up to each tourism operator to regularly check the status of their signs before yearly payment takes place.
• All signs are to be renewed on September 30 of each year, through the payment of an annual maintenance fee. Non-payment of this fee is considered termination of the program by the applicant and will result in the removal of all signs related to the operation.

• The Region of Halton reserves the right to remove any sign if it directly impedes a regional construction project. Yearly fees may be adjusted as a result of construction at the discretion of regional staff.
• It is the operator’s responsibility to notify Regional Staff of any change in address or mailing information. Failing to do so could lead to the removal of signage.
• In keeping with current sign clutter laws and regional restrictions, new TODS sign installations will be limited to a total of 2 routes per business