And So, It Is Done...Ottawa's 'Bubble' Bylaw

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe

"By a vote of 20-4, city council adopted a new bylaw to protect schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and other community facilities from intimidating demonstrations."

"After consulting carefully with the public, a lot of work went into this new bubble bylaw."

"It strikes a careful balance, protecting free speech and the right to demonstrate, and also protecting safe access for children, families, seniors, and communities."

"I will support what the community is asking for: an approach that allows safe access to schools, places of worship, hospitals, and care homes, while preserving our Charter-protected rights to free speech and protest, an approach that enhances safety, fosters community trust through fair enforcement, an approach that continues to explicitly allow labour demonstrations at workplaces as well as protests outside City Hall, Parliament, embassies, and other important democratic institutions." 

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe  

A crowd marches in downtown Ottawa in solidarity with Palestinians on Oct. 4, 2025. [Brendon Poste/the Charlatan]

 

The protests that began the very day following the unforgettable onslaught when Palestinian terrorists in their thousands storming across the border from Gaza into Southern Israel -- to loot, rape, slaughter and take hundreds of hostages on October 7, 2023 led by Hamas, despite a ceasefire in effect with Israel -- which continue to this day in Canadian cities. Protests organized by Palestinian student groups, joined by sympathizers from within and without the Canadian Muslim population and organized labour unions. It was one thing to decry the predictable war that resulted, yet another to place the onus on Israel, defending its population from the Palestinian death-cult, declaiming 'Final Solution', 'Globalize the Intifada' and 'From the River to the Sea', all formulaic messaging constituting hate speech and incitements to violence.

 

These hate-marches spread and gave birth to encampments on university campuses, to marches past old-age homes housing Jewish elderly, to marches through traditional Jewish neighbourhoods, to marches blocking access to hospitals and synagogues, to marches blocking entrance to Jewish-owned businesses where participants shouted abuse at those they took to be from the Jewish community, including children entering Jewish parochial schools. Setting aside criminal acts of vandalism of Jewish properties, of gunfire aimed at Jewish schools and synagogues.

 

In the sacred name of freedom of expression guaranteed by the nation's code of freedoms as set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, authorities have been loathe to respond, under the letter of the law where charter rights meet headlong against the rights of citizens to live in peace and security, free from harassment, and where clearly illegal activities such as blocking roadways for mass Muslim prayer sessions in displays of 'cultural/religious' ascendancy were given free rein, there has been no blowback. But finally, in Ottawa, the decision was made by City Council to enact a bylaw long overdue. 

 

Protesters gather before Centre Block, Parliament, Brendan Poste/The Charlatan

 

City Council gave its overwhelming support to the new 'controversial' bylaw, in the face of warning of potential overreach, to validate the need for safe access to socially vulnerable infrastructure. Demonstrations within 50 metres of schools, hospitals, long-term care centres and community health facilities will henceforth from August 1, be protected. The bylaw was approved by a 20-4 vote. The four dissenting votes came with two motions to amend the bylaw, both of which were also defeated by the majority in Council. 

"[The bylaw represents a] slippery slope."

"Today it is schools and places of worship, tomorrow it is convention centres, then city facilities."

"Eventually, anything that makes people uncomfortable becomes a reason to move dissent out of sight."

"History shows us we do not become safer by gagging dissent."

Merivale Councillor Sean Devine

"We all agree that people should be able to access essential services, schools, health care, places of worship safely and without intimidation."

"At the same time, we also have a responsibility to uphold the right to lawful, peaceful demonstration in a free and democratic society."

"This isn't about monitoring content or expression. It's about ensuring that it is applied when it is appropriate."

Southgate Councillor Jessica Bradley  

The designation for safe-access zone status would apply 24/7 to residential-care facilities and would be in effect one hour before opening through to one hour after closing time. City solicitor Stuart Huxley introduced Calgary's bylaw challenge on Charter grounds defended successfully, that it "is relevant to municipal efforts to balance freedom of expression and safe access".  

 

"What we heard in committee was an outcry from our minority, vulnerable communities for help."

"They want to be safe when they go to their school, to their place of worship, to their hospital, and they do not feel safe."

Barrhaven West Councillor David Hill 

 

A pair of CTV News reports – a news article and an accompanying broadcast – covered a recent anti-Israel rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, drastically exaggerating the crowd’s size and sanitizing the extremist elements at the centre of it.  Honest Reporting Canada