Canadian farmer fined for thumbs-up emoji

Someone should explain to the journalist who wrote this article that an award of damages in a civil lawsuit is not a fine.

I was sceptical going in. But then:

> Mr Mickleborough said he spoke with Mr Achter on the phone about his potential purchase, saying that he was looking to buy the grain in November of that year.

> He then texted the farmer a draft of a contract to seal the deal, writing "please confirm flax contract".

> Mr Achter responded with a "thumbs-up" emoji, but did not deliver the flax by the agreed date.

> Mr Mickleborough said that he had a long-standing business relationship with Mr Achter, and that the farmer had agreed to contracts via text message in the past, prompting him to believe that the emoji sealed the deal.

It's ambiguous but the context has me side with Mr Micklebrough here.

Clickbait: I thought this was about supposed assent to a political statement (many of which seem to be illegal in Canada now). Instead it's a disagreement about what constituted consent to a contract rather than a view about something said.