TORONTO, (Oct. 20, 2004) — A recent law school graduate stepped into court to fight a traffic ticket, and stepped out with a ruling that street signs in Ontario’s largest cities must be in both official languages.

Canadian Press reports that Daniel Brown was asked to fight a citation written to his boss Jennifer Myers, who thought Brown –who has been with her firm for just two months — could use the courtroom experience.

Brown achieved two victories. He got the ticket thrown out, and he was able to convince justice of the peace Alice Napier that Toronto’s traffic signs were in contravention of the province’s French Language Services Act. A clause appears to require a number of Ontario cities, including Toronto, to display traffic signs in both English and French.

However, any drivers thinking they can now make illegal left turns at will should think again. The ruling isn’t likely to last very long, CP quotes city lawyers as saying.

Lawyers will appeal the ruling. A City of Toronto spokesman told CP the clause in question only applies to provincial government services, and for it to apply to municipal services, city council would have to pass a bylaw.

Officials with the Ministry of Transportation agreed with the city’s interpretation of the law. Being forced to add French to Toronto’s hundreds of thousands of traffic signs would be a costly proposition, officials said.

The city has 30 days to file an appeal of the ruling, and Brown said he hopes that he’ll be called to the bar in time to help argue the case in court.

— from Canadian Press