A committed citizen of Rosemère, who had put up protest signs on his property, particularly directed against the mayor of the municipality, managed to have the 13 violations he received declared invalid in court.
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“We should be able to express ourselves freely and not be fined $5,000,” said Benoit Beauchamp, who owns a house on Chemin de la Grande-Côte in Rosemère.
In 2021, Mr. Beauchamp prominently displayed two plywood posters on his property that featured a quote from a former American president about freedom and the definitions of the terms “conspirator” and “conspirator.”
Screenshot from Google Maps
The facade of Benoit Beauchamp’s house in 2021.
He then added a sign targeting Rosemère Mayor Eric Westram in connection with a waste management project he has been contesting for several years.
Benoit Beauchamp “has a clear opinion on local political issues. He strongly criticizes the mayor of the city,” said Judge Alexandre Boucher in his recent ruling.
An inspector from the town of Rosemère asked Mr. Beauchamp to remove the signs, but he refused to comply.
“I respect the rules when they are respectable,” Mr. Beauchamp defended himself in an interview with Le Journal.
In response, the city sent him 13 notices of sign violations. Mr. Beauchamp challenged it in city court, but the judge ruled in the city’s favor.
Benoit Beauchamp, representing himself, therefore appealed to the Supreme Court to invalidate the tickets, which each amounted to $250 plus costs.
Judge Alexandre Boucher agreed with him, as the municipal regulations mentioned only applied to commercial and public buildings.
“The regulations provide for design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance standards at a professional or industrial level that, according to logic and common sense, are not applicable to the display that an ordinary citizen installs in his home,” he said at the Saint- Jerome.
Although the controversial signs constitute “visual pollution” and could impact “the quality of life in the neighborhood,” “the specific regulatory provisions cited by the city in its criminal case do not apply to these signs,” Judge Boucher concluded.
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