Background on the Defend Dissent Coalition
In 2024, community members supporting a broad range of concerns, including Palestinian solidarity actions, were fined under Noise By-law 2017-255. This contradicted Special Events By-law 2001-260, which permits megaphone use. This misuse of the by-law led to escalating state oppression, including surveillance, harassment, ticketing, and arrests of Palestine solidarity protesters starting December 23rd, 2023. Ottawa Police and By-law officers were interpreting the law broadly, affecting various forms of collective action, including 2SLGBTQ+ defenders, labour leaders and workers on strike. For a brief period, it seemed like OPS and By-law officers had stopped misusing this policy, but since then they have increasingly been using aggressive enforcement tactics on protestors including arrests.
In recent months, the Defend the Right to Dissent Coalition has been meeting to organize opposition to a proposed “bubble by-law” in Ottawa. City staff are currently studying options for banning protests within a certain distance of “vulnerable social infrastructure” like schools, healthcare facilities, and religious buildings using a similar by-law recently passed in Vaughan as a model.
Organizations and individuals within our Coalition are very concerned about the implications of a “bubble by-law” for Ottawa:
• Under the provisions of Vaughan’s by-law, much of downtown Ottawa would be in the range where law enforcement could award fines up to $100,000 for protesting.
• Legitimate and important protests take place near these locations, such as student walkouts, strikes, and protests over harmful events being held in religious buildings.
• Ottawa Police and By-law Services have displayed bias in enforcement many times over the past few years, including but not limited to:
• Allowing “Freedom Convoy” protests to proceed and cooperating with organizers
• Ticketing and arresting residents for normal protest activities like using a megaphone.
Relevant Links
- Noise By-law City Survey
- Review of Special Events Bylaw
- City Council Passes Bubble bylaw study
- David Hill op-ed on Bubble Bylaw
- Horizon Ottawa rundown of council meeting re: bubble bylaw
- Bylaw that was passed by Vaughan on "protecting vulnerable social infrastructure"
What we've accomplished
March 26, 2024 – Press Conference
March 28th, 2024 – Email zap
May 22, 2024 - Rally
Promo: Facebook
April 17th, 2025 - Staff Memo analysis
Take Action
| RSVP to Panel Event |
Coalition Members
Acorn Ottawa • Anakbayan Ottawa • Anti-Imperialist Alliance Assembly Of Seven Generations • The Autistic And Neurodivergent Liberation Front Of Ottawa (ANLFO) • Avant Law Pc • Cap City Cyphers • Cape • Capital Pride | Fierté Dans La Capitale • City For All Women Initiative (CAWI) • Climate Justice Ottawa • Coalition Against More Surveillance (CAMS) • Community Solidarity Ottawa Cupe 4600 • De-Colonial Solidarity • Ecology Ottawa • Free Transit Ottawa • Fridays For Future Ottawa • Gongfu Street Food Inc. • Horizon Ottawa • Independent Jewish Voices Carleton • Independent Jewish Voices Ottawa • Justiceworkers Ottawa • King Kimbit Labour For Palestine Ottawa • Migrante Ottawa • Moonfruits Naturopathic Doctors For Environmental And Social Trust • OCTEVAW Ontario • Committee For Human Rights In The Philippines (OCHRP) • OPSEU/SEFPO • OPSEU/SEFPO Local 708 • Ottawa Dyke March | La Marche Dyke D'ottawa • Ottawa Parents, Caregivers, Supporters Of Trans And Gender Non-Conforming • Ottawa Peace Council • Ottawa Run For Palestine • Oléans Eco Action Network • Palestinian Youth Movement - Ottawa Chapter • Planned Parenthood Ottawa Project Of Heart • Public Service Alliance Of Canada - National Capital Region | Alliance De La Fonction Publique Du Canada - Région De La Capitale Nationale (PSAC-NCR | AFPC-RCN) • Safety Ottawa The Shift • Students For Justice In Palestine Carleton • Queers4PalestineOtt • Young Communist League
