'Go home!': Nova Scotian plate-shamed for having Ghostbusters novelty plate

A Bridgewater, N.S., man was plate-shamed and told to "Go home!" by someone who is likely not a fan of the classic 1984 film Ghostbusters.

Benjamin Hebb has a Nova Scotia plate on the back of his vehicle, but a plate on the front says "ECTO-1 NEW YORK" and is a replica of the one found on the ambulance/hearse in the film.

"I won't say I was mad, but I was very disappointed," Hebb said. "To think that people in our area are going out of their way to do such a thing is very disgusting ... It's not Atlantic Canadian behaviour. It definitely caught me off guard."

Amid COVID-19, there have been reports countrywide of people receiving nasty notes on their vehicles because the plates would suggest they are from out of the country — or even province. The implication is the individuals are being accused of bringing COVID-19 into a jurisdiction and should therefore leave.

Hebb's vehicle was parked at the Bridgewater Walmart. It was raining on Wednesday, so he said he noticed the note when he flipped his windshield wipers on.

"It took me a few seconds to think of what exactly this was. A friend of mine once upon a time had left a note on windshield as a joke, but anybody who typically leaves a joke note for me makes it very obvious," he said.

"... But then it kind of dawned on me that with everything going on lately, they probably saw the part of my vanity licence plate that says New York, but not the part that says ECTO-1."

Whoever left the note "clearly didn't walk around behind the vehicle to check out the Nova Scotia licence plate on the back," Hebb said.

Hebb posted about the experience on Facebook. Like him, a lot of people agreed the note was out of line and they mentioned instances where people's vehicles have been keyed.

He said it's "very upsetting to hear people are going to those lengths."

Hebb said he hopes the person who left the note can show more compassion and understanding toward others.

"We're all in this together," he said. "This isn't just one person against another, this is everybody in the province and the world. We all have to get through it."

Hebb said he plans to keep the plate on his vehicle.

"Friday, I'm actually getting a couple of Ghostbusters 'No Ghosts' decals put on the sides of it just to take it that extra step further," he said.

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