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- Some boroughs in Montreal will be able to remove people with poor personal hygiene.
- Critics say the rule could be used to persecute vulnerable people.
- An official said it would only be enforced in "extreme measures."
Smelling bad could get you kicked out of libraries in Montreal under new rules coming into force on January 1.
Critics of the new rule say it could be used to persecute vulnerable people, such as those who are homeless or experience poverty.
"Personal hygiene which inconveniences other users or the personnel" has been added to the list of things that can get you removed from libraries, which has been adopted by certain boroughs.
The new code of conduct also bars people from blocking library doors, sleeping inside, threatening others, and bringing in bedbugs, per CBC News.
Ericka Alneus, executive committee member responsible for culture and heritage, told CBC that the rule will only be enforced in "extreme measures."
She added: "No matter your social status, you're welcome in all the 45 libraries of the city of Montreal."
The bylaw allows fines between CA$350 ($257) and CA$1,000 ($750) for a first offense, up to CA$2,000 ($1,470) for a second and up to CA$3,000 ($2,200) for subsequent offences.
Sam Watts, head of the Welcome Hall Mission, told Canadian outlet Global News that he questioned why these rules were being put in place.
"We need to respond to social challenges like homelessness, like people living in difficulty, like poverty," he said.
"The more energy we invest in actual solutions, the better off we're going to be, and then we won't need any silly rules about who can come into public buildings and who can't."
Alneus said that the bylaw was not created to exclude anyone and that it will be reworded to clarify its purpose.