I've enjoyed listening to and telling rude jokes since I was a little brat, and I've heard and laughed at jokes about Englishmen, Scotsmen, Irishmen, spazzies, mongols, lepers, Jews, poofs, lezzies, darkies, gingers, Siamese twins, retards... almost everything you can think of under the sun. But rape, not so much. However, the fundamental point about a joke isn't the subject... it's "IS IT FUNNY?"

If the answer is "Yes", then generally, all is forgiven. If "No", then you risk looking like someone who just loudly farted at a funeral.

Isn't it Canadian Humour?

Jokes are a curious phenomenon. Its all about the intent. Often the joke is in the play on words rather than the subject matter specifically. But the self-appointed arbiters of public morality can naff off when it comes to what is or is not funny.

What's that funny yellow plant in that field, granddad?

That's rape, sonny.

On a related note...I was surprised to hear so many younger women (ie: under 30), out in public during the day and not inebriated, effing and blinding.

I've even had older folk casually drop the f-word into conversations.

Wither civility, eh?

Yeah, like that townin Saskatchewan that bills itself "The land of rape and honey". Sensitive souls.

You did know that refers to rapeseed, the crop they're famous for, right? The sign went up long before they changed the name to canola seed. That town, (Tisdale), is the home town of comedian Brent Butt.

Oh yes indeedy I did know that. (It's called oilseed rape in Britain not Canola).
That doesn't excuse their crassness one little bit.

The sign isn't about sexual assault, it's about rapeseed and honey, but you already knew that. In Canada, calling people names for no good reason, (like when you already know the sign isn't about rape), is considered crass.

Perhaps you don't appreciate the full import of that word, just seeing the word can have pretty horrid associations so to use it unnecessarily is crass.