Simon C’s post from earlier this week reminded me of one of my favourite oddities from Nova Scotia Statutes [1] and inspired me to take a closer look to see what else I could find:
– My favourite (which hasn’t been much of a problem this year), is section 34 (1) of the Public Highways Act [2], which requires all able bodied males between the ages of 16-60 ” to work with their shovels on the highways during the winter whenever the highways become impassable from snow.”
– Another favourite is from section 6(2) of the Beaches Act [3]. It seems that if you visit a beach in Nova Scotia, you are prohibited from removing any sand or stones, unless you are a lobster fisherman, in which case: “Nothing in this Section shall prevent or restrict a fisherman from removing from a beach rocks for ballast for his lobster pots.” Lobster is a very serious subject on the East Coast!
– As near as I can tell NS is the only jurisdiction in the country with an act dedicated to the protection of baby chicks [4].
– Failure to repair a fence that one has in common with a neighbour can result in a fine of four dollars as specified by 2(2) of the Common Fields Act [5].
– I believe that Nova Scotia is the only jurisdiction where hogshead [6] is a valid system of measurement, according to section 9 of the Merchandise Inspection Act [7].
– It also helps me to rest better to know that the public interest will be protected by the Treasure Trove Act [8] should anyone ever encounter success at Oak Island [9].