A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

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If you really take the time to think about it, there are some pretty dumb laws and by-laws in places. People are weird and sometimes stupid, what else is new?

Canada, as nice as we often are in the modern day, is no exception. We have our own fair share of dumb laws here in the land of ice and snow. This is going to be a list of all the ones I could find, with some photos along the way, should they be relevant. Let’s get started.

1. Rats are Illegal (Alberta)

Under the Agricultural Pests Act of Alberta, the entire genus of Rattus, but especially the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), is classified as an invasive agricultural pest. This means no rats anywhere in the province, including as pets. Propaganda efforts made after this act passed were very successful, with the number of confirmed infestations decreasing dramatically in the years and decades following, with the number reaching 0 in 2003, increasing marginally in 2007 (2) and 2014 (4), but returning to 0 in 2016. (History of Rat Control – Government of Alberta)

2. Illegal to Pretend to Practise Witchcraft

The most recent form of this law was enacted in 2003 and repealed in 2018.

This was a law under Part IX of the Criminal Code of Canada (C-46), as section 365, c. 29, s. 41, under the category of False Pretenses. The law reads as follows:

365 Every one who fraudulently

(a) pretends to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration,

(b) undertakes, for a consideration, to tell fortunes, or

(c) pretends from his skill in or knowledge of an occult or crafty science to discover where or in what manner anything that is supposed to have been stolen or lost may be found,

is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction. (Archive of the Criminal Code – Government of Canada)

3. Maximum Amount Payable in Coins

Under C-52 Section 8 § 2, you are not allowed to pay for a purchase in coins of amounts greater than $40 in $2 coins, $25 in $1 coins, $10 in coins of ¢10-25, and $5 in coins of ¢5. (Bill C-52 – Government of Canada)

Since this law, while still in effect as of this writing, is ridiculous and, in my opinion, very difficult to achieve without actively trying, the average person is unlikely to encounter a situation where it would come up and most places won’t enforce it. Most people also probably don’t know about it. I certainly didn’t until I was doing research for this post.

4. No Ice Cream, But Only On Sundays

While I couldn’t find this on the municipal site proper, many Canadians who are aware of weird laws across the country will be aware of a by-law (whether real or fake, I’m not entirely sure personally) that states that you are not allowed to eat ice cream on Bank Street (Ottawa) on Sundays.

Why this law exists is unclear. Most people also probably don’t even know about it, and I doubt most police officers will care too much if they see someone walking around on a hot summer day with an ice cream cone on Bank Street.

5. Sorry, This Is A No Duel Zone

This one was interesting. The only reason I could find about why it existed was to avoid duels, as they have the potential to be dangerous. It was repealed in 2018, so if you want to get into a duel, there are better ways to spend your time. Also, make sure there are medical professionals on hand.

The specific wording of the law is as follows:

71 Every one who

(a) challenges or attempts by any means to provoke another person to fight a duel,

(b) attempts to provoke a person to challenge another person to a duel, or

(c) accepts a challenge to a duel,

is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.

ARCHIVED – Criminal Code (justice.gc.ca)

In conclusion, Canada is a weird country and we’re not fully normal (in the best way possible). I may look into some weird or interesting Canadian laws that have since been repealed, just to provide a look at the country’s legal history and maybe some cultural context surrounding former laws.