Chances are you know that the law books of the United States are full of bizarre federal statutes and regulations, but did you know that Canada has some weird legal statutes, too? Here’s just a few of the ones our legislative history research found.
Sorry, Andy Griffith. – Believe it or not, it’s actually illegal to whistle in Petrolia, Ontario. The legislative intent behind this legal statute is actually aimed to help keep the noise down at night, but according to its text, “Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing is prohibited at all times.” In other words, no having fun at night in Petrolia.
No Brown Bagging It. – Speaking of not having fun, the Intoxicating Liquors Act — which is actually older than the United States’ period of prohibition — makes it illegal to move more than one bottle of alcohol from one province to another without the provincial liquor control board’s express permission. The crazy part is that it’s not like this legal statute just got left behind. It was actually updated in 2012 to allow people to move wine, but that’s really it.
Keep the Change. – Have you ever read one of those stories about someone getting back at their city by paying a ticket in all pennies? If they were to do that in Canada, it wouldn’t be quite as funny. The Currency Act of 1985 limits the number of coins you can use in a transaction. If you’re using nickels to try to pay more than $5, vendors can say no, give us paper money. If it’s loonies, they can do that at $25.
These are just some of the weird legal statutes that our Northern friends have in place. What’s weirder than the laws, though, is the fact that many of them are still enforced. Who would have thought that you can’t take booze from one province to another, or that you can’t whistle, or even that you can’t pay with a lot of change? How weird, right?
If you know of any other weird legal statutes, feel free to share in the comments.
