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Defend Dissent: Bursting the Bubble By-law Panel
Members of the Defend Dissent Coalition have 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
As a part of our efforts to advocate against a bubble by-law we are hosting a panel discussion, “Defend Dissent: Bursting the Bubble By-law”, on May 12th, 2025, from 7:00pm PM to 8:30 PM in the Wyllie Room at PSAC headquarters (JK Wyllie Conference Room, ground floor, 233 Gilmour Street Ottawa). The goal of this panel would be to educate members of the public about the implications of this proposal and to mobilize attendees to take part in our efforts by contacting their representatives at the city and signing up to delegate on the day of the decision, May 15th.
Some of the issues we are planning to discuss include:
- Precedents and legality of legislation limiting expression
- Importance of protecting dissent in the capital city
- Ottawa’s and Canada’s history of criminalizing protest
- Labour action implications for teachers, nurses, public servants, etc.
- Alternative strategies for helping communities manage protests that cause harm
Click here to learn more about the Defend the Right to Dissent Coalition.
