In the past few days, we’ve seen significant pushback against the City of Winnipeg’s proposed Safe Access to Vulnerable Infrastructure By-law. Although Councillor Evan Duncan has announced he will recommend withdrawing the bylaw, it will still be discussed at the Executive Policy Committee meeting Tomorrow (Tuesday, February 17th). This ongoing discussion presents an important moment for us all to consider the values we want to uphold in our city. The proposed bylaw would have severely limited the ability of citizens to exercise their Charter-protected right to protest and peacefully assemble.
The bylaw would have created strict restrictions on protests near a wide range of infrastructure, effectively banning protests in large portions of the city. The 100-meter buffer zone it proposed would have made it nearly impossible to hold demonstrations. The scope of the bylaw was so broad that it could have applied to nearly one-fifth of Winnipeg, effectively choking off any public demonstration routes downtown. While the City claimed the intention was to protect public safety, the reality is that this bylaw would have allowed for significant overreach by city officials, putting the rights of marginalized communities at risk.
Protest is a vital tool in any democratic society. It is through protest that we hold governments and institutions accountable, push for social change and make our voices heard, especially when those in power may not be listening. From advocating for Indigenous rights to fighting for environmental protection and labour rights, public demonstrations have played a pivotal role in Winnipeg’s history, where collective action has shaped the city’s social and political landscape. This bylaw, if passed, would have disproportionately impacted communities that already face significant barriers to having their voices heard, effectively silencing their ability to advocate for change. In a city with a proud tradition of standing up for workers’ rights and social justice, this bylaw would undermine the very essence of how we’ve fought for progress.
The bylaw would have gone much further than similar laws in other Canadian cities. In Calgary and Toronto, similar rules are more narrowly tailored, applying only to specific facilities like child-care centers and places of worship. Winnipeg’s bylaw, however, was so broad in its application that it would have affected a wide range of public and private spaces, with serious consequences for the right to protest across the city. Such an overreach is not only unnecessary but also fundamentally undemocratic.
While it’s encouraging that Councillor Duncan has withdrawn his support for the bylaw, the work is not over. The bylaw will still be discussed at the Executive Policy Committee meeting tomorrow and the rally will continue as planned. Delegates will still be speaking out and it’s crucial that we show up to send a strong message that this type of overreach is unacceptable.
Let’s keep the pressure on until the bylaw is defeated and show that the right to protest in Winnipeg will remain strong and active.
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