Lawrence Cheung
Being born and raised in Canada, the second largest country in the world, I have many places that I can travel to. I have been to Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Whistler, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, St. John, Charlottetown, and more. The prairie provinces have not felt my presence but I look forward to travelling there soon! The CN Tower, Stanley Park, Confederation Bridge, Banff National Park and Hopewell Rocks all call Canada home. Canada is the “True North, Strong and Free” and we have so much to offer!
However, like any other country, Canada has some pretty strange laws. Here are six weird laws in Canada!
1. Illegal acts are prohibited from being depicted in comic books. They will be banned.
The Criminal Code of Canada Section 163. Subsection B states “makes, prints, publishes, distributes, sells or has in his possession for the purpose of publication, distribution or circulation a crime comic.” This is listed under the section titled Offenses Tending to Corrupt Morals.
Although this may be a law many might want to protest, I’m still able to buy my Marvel and DC comics!
2. In Toronto, Ontario, it is illegal to swear in a public park. (In Toronto, Public is defined as “any government owned sidewalk, lane, street, boulevard, road or street allowance, right-of-way or parks.”)
608-3, A.1 states: “While in a park, no person shall indulge in riotous, boisterous, violent, threatening, or illegal conduct or use profane or abusive language.”
While, this law is actually not enforced much or at all in Toronto but try not to be so loud or offensive in public to be considerate to those around you.
3. In Windsor, Ontario, it is prohibited to play a musical instrument in a park, office or another type of residence.
Bylaw 3-2 states “The sound from or created by any musical or sound producing instrument of whatever kind when the same is played or operated in such manner or with such volume as to disturb the peace, quiet, comfort or repose of any individual…”
I’m a saxophone player and I need to practice and listen to recordings to help me improve my playing. How am I going to do that with this law in effect!?
4. In Alberta, it is illegal to paint a wooden ladder.
In the Occupational and Health Safety Act Section Section 126 Subsection 1, it states: “A person must not paint a wooden ladder.”
This law is something I don’t quite understand. Why would you want to paint a wooden ladder?
5. In Hay River, Northwest Territories, it is illegal to use a dog sled on the sidewalk.
BY-LAW NO. 1957/ADMIN/05 Section 49 says “Unless otherwise posted, where a pathway or sidewalk passes through an area prohibited to dogs, dogs on a leash are permitted in such areas provided they remain on the defined pathway or sidewalk and are not running at large.”
The Northwest Territories receive substantial amounts of snow. That’s why dogsleds are so widely used up there. Often, you can even travel faster with a dogsled since cars are not as accessible.
6. It is illegal to challenge someone to a duel and/or accept an invitation to participate in a duel.
The Criminal Code of Canada Section 71 states: “Every one who challenges or attempts by any means to provoke another person to fight a duel, attempts to provoke a person to challenge another person to fight a duel, or accepts a challenge to fight a duel, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.”
I’m pretty sure none of us would like to fight to the death. There are much more conventional methods to settle disputes.
Having been living in Canada my entire life, I know it is one of the best places to travel and live in. However, I did not know that such weird laws existed here. Whether it is to work or to play, this is something you might want to keep in mind.
Happy travels to Canada!
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