A new Calgary bylaw banning protests near public pools, recreation centres, and libraries will be challenged in court by the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), a national charity.
The CCF said it is “deeply troubled by the recent decision by Calgary City Council to pass a blatantly unconstitutional bylaw that restricts protests,” in a March 16 news release.
“The right to peaceful protest becomes essentially meaningless if local governments are permitted to target the ‘wrong’ kind of protest through new regulations like this,” said the charity, which specializes in constitutional law.
Calgary’s city council voted 10–5 in favour of passing the Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw on March 14, using an expedited basis that did not include the usual committee meetings and public consultation process. The city also voted 11–4 to change a bylaw about street harassment to include “intimidation.”…