Dear Executive Policy Committee,

I’m writing to you today to express my shock and alarm at the City of Winnipeg’s consideration of the Safe Access to Vulnerable Infrastructure By-Law that would restrict our Charter-protected rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. It is for this reason that I am in opposition to the proposed bylaw.

This by-law would limit the fundamental freedoms Winnipeggers have used to advocate for many social and policy changes that we currently enjoy as a community, and even as a nation. From vigils and rallies to round dances, public demonstrations have been used to help win rights for workers and tenants, Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, as well as protections for the environment.

If passed, I am concerned that this by-law could not only infringe on constitutional rights, but silence marginalized communities’ voices, lead to police overreach, and result in inadequate options for responding to hate. The City’s proposed “Safe Access” by-law would not do anything to further prevent property damage, hate crimes, or violence from taking place—acts that are already criminal. Instead, peaceful protests would be severely limited. This type of draconian and undemocratic curtailing of the freedom of expression has no place in the City of Winnipeg, which has been striving towards the status of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) “Human Rights City” since 2018.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has expressed concerns that broad rules such as these may unfairly restrict Charter-protected peaceful demonstrations and free speech, and that such laws often harm marginalized groups who rely on protest to advocate for social change.

This is an issue of protecting freedom of expression and association, a crucial cornerstone of a free and fair democracy. Given the alarming suppression of rights and freedoms we are witnessing in the U.S., I urge you to remember your legal obligations to uphold the Charter and protect our democracy.

I implore you to drop further consideration of the proposed demonstrations bylaw.

Signed,

your name