Montreal man fined for free hugs in the metro to get off with warning

CTV Montreal: Hugs without a permit Tommy Boucher was fined for giving hugs without a permit

They say no good deed goes unpunished -- something a Montreal man offering free hugs knows all too well.

Tommy Boucher was given a fine for offering free hugs, but will now get off with a warning.

Boucher said two STM agents stopped him at Jean-Talon metro station last week and gave him a ticket for $101.

“The two officers from the STM approached me and they asked me if I had a permit to do that, so the question surprised me,” he said.

They said the offence was for providing a service in the metro without a permit.

He was fined under STM bylaw R-036, section VIII, subsection II, rule 17, which states: "In a metro station, after obtaining the authorization of the Societe, it is permitted to offer for sale or lease services or merchandise, or to exhibit or distribute such services or merchandise, subject to the other restrictions in the present bylaw. Under any other circumstance or in any other place, such activities are forbidden."

Boucher wears a shirt offering the free hugs and spreads his arms wide to receive them.

“We just stand there, arms open and people come by themselves. It's kind of really free and open,” he said.

The STM confirmed on Monday that it will withdraw the fine and let Boucher off with a warning.

"The STM reiterates that this type of activity must be held outside turnstiles for fluidity and safety reasons," said spokesperson Philippe Dery.

Boucher said the hugs make him feel good and seem to help others, too.

“I remember one time, I was at Berri station. I met a woman and she cried on my shoulder for 15 minutes, and it was great because I was just sharing that moment with her and she was talking about what was bad at that moment,” he said.