Do you sometimes fear that you are breaking the law unknowingly? Don't worry, the York Regional Police have got your back.
Friday was Global Police Tweet-a-thon day, where law enforcement officers from around the world turn to social media to promote their agency's services and explain their role in each municipality. The event lasts for 24 hours and involves over 200 different agencies.
While informing the public on services is important, the York Regional Police went the extra mile to ensure Canadians understood the complicated regulations that govern our country. Using the hashtag #obscurecdnlaws, they decided to use their 24 hours to inform the public about the lesser-known rules in our criminal code:
OBSCURE LAW: You can’t drag a dead horse down Yonge Street on a Sunday. More of a Monday activity really.
— York Regional Police (@YRP)
NO DUELS HERE! Challenging someone to a duel or partaking in one is illegal in Canada.
— York Regional Police (@YRP)
MUMMY'S BE WARNED - We're digging deep here but apparently it's illegal to publicly remove bandages.
— York Regional Police (@YRP)
No pilot of an aircraft shall permit a person to enter or leave the aircraft during flight without a parachute.
— York Regional Police (@YRP)
THE TRILLIUM - To pick or not to pick? Only illegal to pick this flower in Provincial Parks and conservation areas
— York Regional Police (@YRP)
Other laws to watch out for:
- Manitoba's Highway Traffic Act states that, "any pedestrian proceeding along a highway where no sidewalk is provided or where the sidewalk is not passable, shall walk as closely as is practicable...but persons walking on a roadway shall not walk more than two abreast."
- The Criminal Code of Canada says that prize fighting is banned in Canada unless exceptions are made by provincial legislatures. Remember this the next time you register your child in martial arts.
- It is illegal to set fire to a man's wooden leg in Alberta.
- The Criminal Code of Canada has a section relating to the theft of oysters--section 323, if you were wondering.