Winnipeg city councillor calls for crackdown on nuisance demonstrations

Winnipeg city councillors are looking to curb ‘nuisance demonstrations’ at places like schools and churchs, but some say it’s a step too far. Danton Unger expla

City councillors want to curb what they call nuisance demonstrations at places like schools, churches and hospitals.

Coun. Evan Duncan (Charleswood–Tuxedo–Westwood) introduced a new motion on Tuesday, calling for city staff to look at creating a new bylaw to crack down on where and how protests are held.

“There’s a place and a time, and I invite all of the protests to the government buildings where our leaders are making those decisions and not disrupting our communities,” he said.

The motion specifically targets what it describes as “nuisance demonstrations”—those that include harassment, block pedestrians or vehicles, use microphones or amplifiers, or use offensive and hateful comments.

Duncan wants to see a 100-metre buffer zone around “vulnerable social infrastructure,” including hospitals and health care facilities, long-term care homes and congregate living facilities, places of worship, public and private educational institutions, community and cultural centres, and cemeteries.

He said the bylaw would strengthen the city’s permitting practices to restrict or deny gatherings around these spaces.

“I’m looking for maximum fines for these type of things,” Duncan said. “We need to set the tone in these communities, that our communities are safe and welcoming and they’re going to be free from these types of protests that are disruptive to members who are just innocent bystanders.”

But this isn’t sitting well with Ramsey Zeid, the president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba.

“This motion or this bylaw is ridiculous,” he said.

Zeid’s association has staged several protests since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. He fears the motion would limit Winnipeggers’ rights to protest. He said his association is seeking legal advice on the matter.

“What they’re trying to do is they’re trying to silence people from using their Charter Rights of Freedoms to peaceful protests,” he said.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said the motion would look to balance those rights while protecting vulnerable spaces.

“Are there some restrictions we can put in place that still allow people to protest, but make sure we’re protecting vulnerable people,” he said.

The public service now has 90 days to take a look at how other jurisdictions are handling these kinds of protests and report back with a proposed bylaw.