I believe that the right to protest is sacrosanct, but I also have faced down transphobic agitators in front of schools, and I understand the need to protect vulnerable institutions and the people inside them.
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There are already protections in the Charter (as outlined in the staff briefing to the Councillors) This an attack on people's right to protest - specifically targeted at protesting the ongoing genocide, and peoples places of work. Free Palestine.
I worked with fellow councillors to remove what I saw as dangerous language in the motion that would have given bylaw and police officers the power to determine what constitutes a “nuisance” protest.
With these changes, I felt comfortable voting in favour of the motion, because it focused on the need to protect safe access to vulnerable infrastructure.
But to be clear: we did NOT vote on a bylaw; we asked staff to consult with the community to develop one.
I plan to be engaged in the process to ensure that the right for protestors to be seen and heard is not curtailed. Thank you to everyone who wrote to me about this issue.
I appreciate all your hard work on this but I don't trust OPS enforcement in any way.
Protesters at CANSEQ were arrested today and OPS came prepared with helmets. Meanwhile the convoy lasted 5 weeks and they all shared coffee. There's been no community reconciliation from OPS. Not surprising 😞
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But to be clear: we did NOT vote on a bylaw; we asked staff to consult with the community to develop one.
Protesters at CANSEQ were arrested today and OPS came prepared with helmets. Meanwhile the convoy lasted 5 weeks and they all shared coffee. There's been no community reconciliation from OPS. Not surprising 😞