Drinking and driving is illegal, and it is pretty understandable why. However, across the world, there are strange laws that make people scrunch their brows up in confusion. Let’s take a closer look at some of these outlandish laws.
In Australia, it is illegal to own more than 50kg of potatoes, and if you get thirsty and want a cocktail in tropical Thailand, you can only order between certain hours. Even weirder is that in Switzerland, it is against the law to flush the toilet after 10 p.m.
Although some concepts are queerer than others, here are three bizarre laws that are illegal in Canada.
Driving Without Insurance
Although this law is not as baffling as outlawing chewing gum in Singapore, driving without car insurance is illegal. According to statistics, there are approximately 170,000 uninsured drivers in Ontario alone.
Those driving without insurance run the risk of incurring fines, license suspension and having their cars impounded. While this law might seem like “an option” for some drivers, car insurance helps keep everyone legally covered in case of an accident.
Pet Rats Are Illegal in Alberta
Thanks to a rat infestation that hit in the 1950s, it is illegal to own a pet rat in Alberta.
Norway rats are non-native and reached the eastern border of Alberta in the middle of the 20th century. Due to an initiative that involved every level of government and individual, the rat infestation was halted.
It is the only species of rats that were behind gnawing floors, walls, and supporting structures in buildings and carrying fleas that carried plagues into Asia and Europe. They were also responsible for contaminating food and carrying other strains of diseases.
Six hundred rat infestations that were reported in the region during that time had miraculously dropped to zero by 2016. The laws are still in effect to keep the province rat-free.
Swearing in Any Toronto Park Is a Big No
In addition to driving without insurance and owning a pet rat, swearing in a public park in Toronto is also illegal. “While in a park, no person shall: (1) Indulge in riotous, boisterous, violent, threatening, or illegal conduct or use profane or abusive language,” states The Toronto Municipal Code. It is reported that you could be fined up to $200.
Although curbing your tongue while out in public may be difficult for many people, there has not been any documented cases of anyone ever being arrested or fined for cursing in a park.
You Cannot Challenge Your Enemy to a Duel
The phrase “All is fair in love and war” does not apply in Canada. The last person to die in a duel was Robert Lyon. He and John Wilson fought over the love of a woman they had both become infatuated with. Lyon was shot and killed during the competition, and Canada outlawed the practice shortly after.
Fiddlesticks! There Are More Strange Canadian Laws
So, challenging a competitor is no longer tolerated in Canada; however, this isn’t the last of a list of weird laws that could land you in prison. Painting wooden ladders, scaring the Queen of England, and owning comics are other bizarre illegal activities that might land you behind bars.
Perhaps it is time for Canadian citizens to address these outdated laws or at least revisit them. Because one day, you might be told to “turn around and put your hands behind your back,” and not know why.