Strange and funny laws in Canada
There are many
strange and funny laws in Canada, as there are in many other Countries, and
most of them are left over from decades and even centuries ago. When the land
was first settled, many laws were made to placate the people who were being
dumbfounded by rude and ignorant people. For instance, it is illegal to drag a
dead horse down Younge Street (one of the more infamous streets in Toronto) on
a Sunday. Maybe they meant politicians, and why would dragging a live horse
down the street be legal?
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| Vancouver, BC |
In Etobicoke (a suburb of Toronto), it is illegal to fill a bathtub with more than 3.5 inches of water. Maybe a decent law here, as many babies die yearly from drowning in bathtubs while their parents had to attend to something else, leaving their baby in the tub for "just a minute or two". Staying with the "not on Sundays" rules, in Ottawa, the nation's capitol city, it is illegal to eat ice cream on Bank Street (the major shopping street in downtown Ottawa) on a Sunday.
Some laws, funny or silly, do make some sense, though. For example, in British Columbia, it is illegal to kill a Sasquatch. I guess you would have to find one first, and if you did, and shot it, you should be fined for being so stupid! A live Sasquatch would command hundreds of millions of dollars to rich collectors. Staying out west, in Alberta, it is illegal to use dice to shoot craps. How else can craps be played? It probably would have been easier to just make playing craps illegal. In Victoria, B.C., buskers (street entertainers) are not allowed to give children balloon animals.
In Quebec, if you want to put english on your store or business (or any) signs, the french must be at least twice as big as the english lettering, and both french and english must be displayed. You can place french only signs, but not english only signs. As well, in Quebec margarine must not be the same color as butter. And, in the beautiful city of Quebec City, a very french-influenced city, you can not swear in french (mon dieu!).
The Eastern Provinces, otherly known as The Maritimes, have their share of the silliness. In New Brunswick, it is still illegal to drive a car on the roads. Talk about a get-rich-quick scheme for the province if they decided to start enforcing that law! In Nova Scotia, again almost making sense, it is against the law to water your lawn while it is raining.
Canada-wide, it is still illegal to remove bandages from your body in public. If they fall off in public, do you get a reduced sentence? In Calgary (Alberta), when you are let out of prison, they must give you a gun, bullets and a horse, so that you can ride on out of town. Good idea, but a little late, and why the guns and bullets to a criminal? For safety's sake?
That is what laws are made for, for public safety. Giving criminals guns and bullets when they are released from prison might just send a wrong message. Seems that giving politicians the right to make laws should be against the law as well, sometimes.
Peter’s Comment
Canada, like
many other places, may have some silly laws but it is a beautiful country with friendly people and I
treasure my memories of traveling there.
Read about strange happenings with the law in
The Life and Times of Freddie Fuddpucker
by Peter Blakeborough
PO Box 110, Ngatea 3541, New Zealand
Print books: http://www.gypsybooks.co.nz
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