The saga of a Montreal bagpiper who was fined $221 by Montreal police for carrying a Sgian Dubh, a small ceremonial Scottish dagger, has come to an end.
In a Facebook post Friday, Jeff McCarthy, said his ticket had been cancelled and that he would be getting his knife back.
“The prosecutor doesn’t want to press on with this,” his post reads.
READ MORE: Montreal bagpiper receives outpouring of support after $221 ticket
McCarthy was ticketed back in November 2016, when taking a break outside Place des Arts during a McGill University convocation ceremony, for carrying what authorities deemed to be a weapon.
Get daily National news
Despite an outpouring of support for the veteran piper, police decided to uphold the ticket, prompting McCarthy to fight back and contest the ticket.
A Montreal-area lawyer told Global News in 2016 that while there is a bylaw that prohibits the possession of a knife in public without a reasonable excuse, McCarthy had a legitimate reason because he was performing at a convocation.
READ MORE: Montreal police to uphold $221 fine for bagpiper wearing ceremonial dagger
While Friday’s decision may seem like a victory, McCarthy did express some disappointment.
“Thank you one and all for your support on this folks, but as there was no decision rendered, no precedent, people wearing a Sgian Dubh with the kilt can still get ticketed by the police at any given time in Montreal,” he said, replying to a comment on Facebook.
READ MORE: No more bagpipers at downtown Montreal Ogilvy department store
McCarthy also urged followers to take action to avoid a repeat situation in the future.
“Write your city councillors, we mustn’t ever let this happen again,” he said.
Comments