.png)
Council votes to draft 'bubble bylaw' to curtail protests near 'vulnerable' sites
- Ward 3 Office
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Bylaw would create buffer zones of up to 80 metres near schools, hospitals, churches
Ottawa city councillors voted on Friday to draft a bylaw creating buffer zones of up to 80 metres to limit demonstrations around sites and facilities considered "vulnerable public infrastructure.
If enacted, a so-called "bubble zone bylaw" could restrict protests near institutions such as schools, hospitals and places of worship. It would be aimed at preventing harassment and hate speech.
A joint meeting of council's Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services and Public Works and Infrastructure committees voted 14-2 in favour of the motion, after Coun. Allan Hubley proposed modifications to Coun. David Hill's original draft.
Hubley's modifications aimed to mitigate concerns that Hill's original motion contained terms such as "nuisance demonstration" and "intimidation" that were considered too subjective and risked giving police too much discretion in enforcing the bylaw.
The amended motion proposed a more "narrowly tailored" bylaw to prohibit demonstrations "during operational hours or specific high-risk periods" within 80 metres of "vulnerable social infrastructure."
The motion specifically exempts protests over labour disputes or negotiations, as well as demonstrations not specifically directed at a protected site.
Embassies, city hall and Parliament would still be fair game for demonstrations, even if those buildings contain educational facilities, clinics or other care services.
...
In bringing the motion, Hill insisted "common sense prevails."
"What we're looking for is a made-in-Ottawa solution for Ottawa," he said.
After the vote, Hill told CBC the ultimate goal is to introduce "a bubble zone bylaw that will help keep our community safe while allowing for peaceful protest."
A lively debate
The motion followed two days of lively debate and personal testimony from Ottawa residents, some strongly in favour and others strongly against the proposed bylaw
Members of Ottawa's Jewish community spoke of feeling particularly under threat since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and Israel's military response, both of which have sparked demonstrations in Ottawa.
Ted Cohen, the CEO of Hillel Lodge, a long-term care home on Broadview Avenue housing several Jewish residents including Holocaust survivors, described a loud protest outside a nearby Jewish community centre last fall.
....
"Staff reported residents asking repeatedly, 'What's happening? Why are they yelling? Are we in danger?'" Cohen continued. He'd like demonstrations around nursing homes to face restrictions.
