VANCOUVER, B.C. (CN) - A singer-songwriter claims she was "fined and harassed" for using a 10-watt amplifier to sing her songs on the streets of North Vancouver.
Megan Mackenzie Regehr sued North Vancouver in a pro se complaint in B.C. Supreme Court.
She claims that city employees "fined and harassed" her for exercising her "right of expression and communication," guaranteed by Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Regehr told the North Shore News that her microphone and amplifier are "part of my expression." Without them, she said, "I wouldn't be heard above the vehicles on the street."
She wants the city's noise bylaw struck down as unconstitutional.
Regehr, whose stage name is Babe Coal, received three $100 tickets in recent weeks for singing her songs in the Civic Plaza, according to North Shore News.
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.