16 Weird Canadian Laws That You Might Be Breaking

    "It is illegal to challenge someone to a duel."

    Sarah Aspler
    by Sarah Aspler

    BuzzFeed Staff, Canada

    1. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Taxi drivers are not allowed to wear T-shirts.

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    42a. "Every driver while in control of a taxi or accessible taxi shall wear a shirt or military type blouse with a collar and sleeves (no T-shirts), ankle-length trousers, or dress shorts..."

    2. Fredericton, New Brunswick: It is against the law to wear a snake, or carry a pet lizard, in public.

    Timothy Clary / AFP / Getty Images

    2.12. "No person shall have, keep or possess a snake or other reptile upon the street or in any public place."

    However, 2.13. "A person may possess a snake or other reptile on a street or in a public place provided it is in a case, cage or other container designed in such a fashion that it will completely confine such snake or reptile."

    3. Province-wide, Alberta: It is against the law to paint a wooden ladder.

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    126. "A person must not paint a wooden ladder."

    4. Province-wide, Alberta: It is illegal to own a pet rat.

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    11-2. "A person shall not purchase, keep or sell live rats unless the person holds a permit issued under subsection."

    Sidenote: Alberta is the only region in the entire world free of Norwegian rats.

    5. Sudbury, Ontario: It is illegal to attach a siren to your bike.

    Via youtube.com

    776.3.16. "The operation of any siren or other artificial noise device other than a bell or horn, attached to a bicycle shall be deemed unusual noise."

    6. Toronto, Ontario: It is against the law to swear in a public park.

    BuzzFeed Canada / Thinkstock / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: briangriffin

    608-3. "While in a park, no person shall indulge in riotous, boisterous, violent, threatening, or illegal conduct or use profane or abusive language."

    7. Windsor, Ontario: You are not allowed to play a musical instrument in a park, office, or other type of residence.

    Pojoslaw / Getty Images

    3-2. A Windsor bylaw outlines "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."

    8. Province-wide, Ontario: If you don't pay your hotel bill, they can sell your horse.

    Thomas Northcut / Getty Images

    That is if you brought a horse or other live animal with you.

    2. The Ontario Innkeeper's Act states, "An innkeeper, livery-stable keeper or boarding-stable keeper who has a lien upon a horse, other animal or carriage for the value or price of any food or accommodation supplied, or for care or labour bestowed thereon, has, in addition to all other remedies provided by law, the right, in case the same remains unpaid for two weeks, to sell by public auction the horse, animal or carriage on giving two weeks notice of the intended sale..."

    9. Oshawa, Ontario: It is against the law to climb a tree.

    Thinkstock

    8.3. "No person shall interfere with a tree or part of a tree located on municipal property, including but not limited to attaching, affixing or placing upon in any manner any object or thing to a tree or part of a tree, and climbing the tree."

    10. Hay River, Northwest Territories: It is against the law to use a dog sled on a sidewalk.

    Maria Itina / Getty Images

    49. "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."

    11. Nation-wide: It is illegal to pretend to practice witchcraft.

    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via davidtennant-rph.tumblr.com

    365. "Every one who fraudulently pretends to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration is guilty of an offense punishable on summary conviction."

    12. Nation-wide: It is illegal to create, possess, and sell crime comics.

    Creative Commons / Via Flickr: nathaninsandiego

    163b. The Criminal Code of Canada has "makes, prints, publishes, distributes, sells or has in his possession for the purpose of publication, distribution or circulation a crime comic." listed under the section titled Offenses Tending to Corrupt Morals.

    13. Nation-wide: It is illegal to challenge someone to a duel and/or accept an invitation to a duel.

    20th Century Fox / Via starwars-gifs.tumblr.com

    71. "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 offense and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years."

    14. Nation-wide: It is illegal to waterski after sunset.

    Brent Cebul / Getty Images

    250. "Every one who operates a vessel while towing a person on any water skis, surf-board, water sled or other object during the period from one hour after sunset to sunrise is guilty of an offense punishable on summary conviction."

    15. Nation-wide: It is illegal to steal oysters.

    Universal Pictures

    The Criminal Code of Canada has a section relating to the theft of oysters.

    323. "Where oysters and oyster brood are in oyster beds, layings or fisheries that are the property of any person and are sufficiently marked out or known as the property of that person, that person shall be deemed to have a special property or interest in them."

    16. Nation-wide: It is illegal to scare the Queen.

    BuzzFeed Canada / Wpa Pool / Getty Images

    49. "Every one who willfully does an act with intent to alarm Her Majesty" is listed under the section Prohibited Acts in The Criminal Code Of Canada.