Real estate broker's sign vandalized

A Tony Johal billboard on Manitou Drive is seen marred by graffiti in this photo. (Courtesy: Tony Johal)

A Waterloo Region real estate broker is taking it in stride after one of his billboards was vandalized.

Tony Johal says members of the public reached out to him after his sign on Manitou Drive was defaced by graffiti over the weekend.

The vandals painted a large mustache on his photo and blackened one of his teeth.

By Tuesday afternoon, the billboard was restored to its former look.

“Honestly, I don't take the graffiti too seriously,” Johal said in an email to CTV News Kitchener. “I'm certainly not advocating for graffiti or vandalism, but I also realize it was a harmless prank and, in a world where there are bigger issues, I try to see the humour in it, and I try to be light-hearted about these things. The board was replaced by the company within 48 hours which is great but part of me enjoyed seeing myself with a moustache.”

He added his billboards have been vandalized before and it’s usually nothing too serious.

“There had been times in the past where there was profanity or something offensive. It's in these instances where I feel people cross the line,” he explained.