Montreal man ticketed for singing (badly and loudly) in his car

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last updated 24 October 2017

Taoufik Moalla has never tried to fool himself into thinking he's a fantastic singer, but the Montreal resident never thought his spirited rendition of C+C Music Factory's 1990 hit "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" would net him a $149 fine.

Moalla was driving to the store on Sept. 27 when the classic '90s jam came on, and he started to sing along. Moalla told CTV he heard a police siren behind him and thought the car wanted to go by, but instead the officer announced over the loudspeaker he needed to pull over. He did as he was told, and four police officers approached his car and checked out the inside. "They asked me if I screamed," Moalla said. "I said, 'No, I was just singing.'"

In Montreal, a person who causes "disorder by screaming" violates "peace and tranquility," CTV reports, and they can be fined up to $1,000. Moalla was written up for screaming in public and handed a $149 ticket. "I don't know if my voice was very bad and that's why I got the ticket, but I was very shocked," he said. Moalla didn't think he was being that loud, "just if you are happy and you like this song," but he wasn't mad at the officers, because "they were just doing their job." He has contested the ticket, and is waiting now for a court date. In the meantime, Moalla has received zero sympathy from his wife: "She told me, if it was for singing, I'd have given you a ticket for $300." Catherine Garcia