Grabher to appeal ruling that upheld revocation of personalized licence plate
Posted March 9, 2020 10:09 am.
Last Updated March 9, 2020 11:04 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX — A Nova Scotia man plans to file an appeal of a court ruling that upheld the province’s decision to revoke a licence plate personalized with his surname — Grabher.
Lorne Grabher says the province infringed on his freedom of expression, but the Nova Scotia Supreme Court said there is no constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression when using a government-owned plate.
The plate, which Grabher had for nearly 30 years, was revoked in 2016 by the province’s Registrar of Motor Vehicles after the agency received a complaint from a woman who said it promoted hatred toward women.
In January, Justice Darlene Jamieson decided that licence plates are not “public spaces” with a history of free expression.
The judge also said the registrar recalled the plate because the seven letters — G-R-A-B-H-E-R — could be interpreted as a socially unacceptable statement without the benefit of further context that licence plates can’t provide.
The Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is supporting Grabher, says there is no evidence that anyone has ever committed a sexual assault because they saw Grabher’s licence plate.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2020.
The Canadian Press
