National attention has been focused on the Alberta community of Tabor in recent weeks for a bylaw that bans spitting and swearing, but similar municipal legislation was instituted in Petrolia 25 years ago, one aimed at lowering the noise level in the Lambton County town.

Among the targets was whistling, as well as singing and shouting.

“I wrote it, I remember it well,” said former town clerk Brad Loosely.

An update to Petrolia’s noise bylaws in 2009 means the veil of silence no longer hangs over the town, yet an archive of the municipality’s website from as recently as 2007 issues the ultimatum.

“Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing is prohibited at all times,” it said.

Though no longer in effect, the rule has earned Petrolia a place on many a list of whacky and weird laws.

A quick web search brings up articles from Reader’s Digest, Yahoo News, radio stations and blogs referencing Petrolia’s strong stance when it comes to whistling.

The bylaw is long gone but the reputation lives on as new lists continue to reference the old rules.

While the prohibition on whistling and ban on song might seem strange in hindsight, Loosely said they weren’t “silly bylaws.”

“The noise one was because at that time, they were having trouble with house parties and noise,” said the former town clerk. “The police even sent a letter in support.”

When crafting the bylaw, Loosley said he tried to cover all of his bases and make sure there wasn’t anything that got left out.

The rules also covered other noise-related issues including pets and car engines.

“I figured it probably wouldn’t be changed for a number of years.”

An article found in the Lambton County Archives, labeled as coming from the Sarnia Observer, points out that bringing the bylaws into effect took years.

The 1990 approval came after three years in “limbo” that ended when Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley signed off, it said.

Loosley said he encountered some strange bylaws during his time serving the Town of Petrolia.

Another Observer article from late 1990 showed that shortly after the noise bylaw was introduced, Petrolia rescinded 2,947 other rules, mostly ones that had long since run their course.

“One of them was, for example, when you brought your horses into town, you had to tie them up,” said Loosley.

Bakers, he added, had to pay a surcharge on every loaf of bread.

These days, anyone wishing to whistle while skipping down a street in Petrolia can do so to their heart’s content – with one exception.

The 2009 bylaw, which replaced the original rules, sets a $250 fine for anyone who yells, shouts, whistles or makes another noise “for the purposes of selling or advertising.”

brent.boles@sunmedia.ca