If forks are illegal in Canada, then how do Canadians eat pasta? This question must have crossed your mind when you heard from a friend or maybe saw on social media that forks are not allowed in Canada.
But, are forks really illegal in Canada? You’ll soon find out. This article will take you through the history behind the statement that “forks are illegal in Canada.”
So, sit back and enjoy the story.
The Great Canadian Fork Fight of 1812
In 2021, a wedding photographer, Taylor Jackson uploaded a video on Tiktok. In this video, he claimed that forks are illegal in Canada owing to the Great Canadian Fork Fight of 1812. He used online resources to prove the claim, making the video believable. So, it became viral.
What a lot of people missed, however, was that the video was only a joke. So, some took the video as genuine, while others like you began asking questions about the fork fight that made forks illegal in Canada.
The truth is, Canada has no record of fork fights in its history books. The only fight that took place in 1812 that has a place in the history of Canada is the War of 1812. This war was between the United States and Great Britain. Canada only felt the brunt of this war that lasted for two years because it was a British colony at the time.
So, the Great Canadian Fork fight of 1812 is a hoax you shouldn’t take seriously.
Now that you know that no fork fight ever happened in Canada, let’s find out if forks are illegal in Canada.
Are Forks Illegal in Canada, Really?
Well, forks are illegal in Canada if they’re made of plastic. Canada values its natural heritage—the lakes, beaches, parks, and streets – and it’s not ready to lose it to plastic pollution.
In Canada, out of 3,000,000 tonnes of plastic waste—approximately 64 million bags—disposed of by Canadians yearly, they recycle only 9%. The remaining ninety-one percent end up as pollutants.
In a bid to curtail plastic pollution in Canada, the Canadian government made a regulation prohibiting certain single-use plastics. Single-use plastics are disposable items used once and then either trashed or recycled.
Here is a list of the single-use plastic items prohibited in Canada.
- Single-use plastic checkout bags
- Single-use plastic cutlery like forks, spoons, knives, sporks, etc.
- Single-use plastic flexible straw
- Single-use plastic food service ware
- Single-use plastic ring carrier
- Single-use plastic stir stick
- single-use plastic straw
You can’t manufacture, import, or sell any of these single-use plastics in the country. But in some situations, you can use single-use ring carriers and flexible straws.
For other single-use plastics, Canadians are to look for alternatives. So, you can still use forks made from steel or other non-plastic products.
Finally
Forks are not illegal in Canada as long as they are not made of plastic. So, relax. As you slurp your spaghetti or any of your favorite dishes with a fork in Canada, you won’t have to worry about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Frequently Asked Questions About Things Illegal in Canada
Is it illegal to swear in Canada?
You might have a culture shock when you move to Canada. In Canada, public conduct is strictly regulated. By the provisions of section 175(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada, swearing, insulting, or using obscene language in public is a punishable offense.
Other acts punishable by the same provision are fighting, screaming, shouting, or singing in public.
Can you go to jail for hate speech in Canada?
The Criminal Code of Canada doesn’t contain the term “hate speech”. However, it does provide for offenses that fall into the categories of what the public understands as hate speech.
These offenses, which you can find under the Hate Propaganda section of the law, are Public Incitement of Hatred and Wilful Promotion of Hatred.
If in a public place, you communicate statements that incite hatred against an identifiable group and the incitement leads to the breach of the public peace, you’ll be liable for the offense of Public Incitement of Hatred. In this case, it doesn’t matter if you intended to stir up hatred against the group. What matters is that you made the statement.
However, where you willfully make a statement in public to incite hatred against an identifiable group, you’ll be liable for the Willful Promotion of Hatred.
In either case, you’ll be guilty of an indictable offense punishable by a jail term not exceeding two years or an offense punishable by summary conviction.
Why can’t you paint a wooden adder in Alberta?
It’s chiefly a safety condition. According to the Occupational Hazard and Safety Code of Alberta, 2021, a person must not paint a wooden ladder. But, you can preserve a wooden ladder with a transparent protective coating.
If a ladder is not painted it’ll be easier for you to detect if the wood is decaying. So, the law seeks to protect workers that use ladders for purchasing ones made from rotten wood.
What is the weirdest law in Canada?
There are numerous laws that’ll come off as strange to you if you’re not Canadian. However, when you dig deeper into the reason behind such laws, they might become less quirky.
Here are some of the strange laws in Canada.
- Thanks to Alberta’s rat control program, owning a rat as a pet in Alberta is illegal.
- In Ontario, you are not allowed to own a pitbull as a pet, and in Toronto, section 349(5) of the Toronto Municipal Code prohibits the ownership of more than three dogs.
- In Mississauga, a city in Ontario, a property must not have more than one clothesline per dwelling unit.
- In Markham, you can only water your lawns either between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM or between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM, but not both.
Can you own a turtle on Prince Edward Island?
In Prince Edward Island, there are animals prohibited as pets, and turtles fall within the category. So, you can’t own a turtle as a pet in Prince Edward Island.
