Bubble Bylaw Is Necessary: BENN

Published 05/31/2025 · Updated 05/31/2025

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With rights come responsibilities. Responsibilities that are based on the fundamental of respect for other peoples’ rights.

City council has asked staff to draft a bubble bylaw to help city law enforcement, both bylaw and police officers, deal with protests and demonstrations. Some have expressed the opinion that this as an intrusion on the right to protest. Some have pointed out that there are a number of existing laws that could be used to exercise better control over unruly demonstrators.

There is merit in both of those statements. But what those who object to the concept of a bubble bylaw prefer to ignore is that on too many occasions, protesters flagrantly ignore the rules of conduct. That the officers on site have limited resources to apply the existing laws, That the prosecutors decide, from time to time, to not proceed with the charges laid. And when they do, the existing generally low dollar fines are insufficient to deter the poor behaviour.

I am not a law-and-order kind of person. I am not one to espouse more power to the authorities. I am the sort of person who believes that people should be respectful of each other, even and especially when they disagree strongly about a situation. That is what is lacking in so many of the protests. Respect. Respect for those who do not hold a strongly held opinion on the topic. Respect for those who do hold a strongly held, but opposite opinion. Respect for public property. Respect for private property. Respect for the physical and mental health of those are directly and indirectly affected by the actions taken by the protesters.

Too often the rhetoric of the protesters, when responding to the disruptions they are causing, cite them as minor inconveniences when compared to the major problems suffered by others. Perhaps the consequences are minor. But sometimes they are not.

Barrhaven West Councillor David Hill, the sponsor of the resolution to create the bubble by-law, pointed out that one protest cut off traffic flow across a bridge. That forced a major reroute of traffic, which led to a patient missing a long-scheduled cancer treatment. Missing a medical appointment might seem like a minor inconvenience to some. It is not minor for the person dealing matters of their own life and death. Why should they suffer the anguish of missing a vital cancer treatment because some protesters decided that overwhelming a major transportation route was the best way to draw attention to their cause?

There have been repeated reports of protest organizers advising the local protesters that any fines will be covered by the organizing committee. That this is an acceptable cost to advance the cause. Why? Because their cause is righteous. And righteous causes overrule individual and collective responsibilities to society.

So, as we bemoan the concept of adding another law that might or might not be enforced, let us also consider our responsibilities to society. Let us consider the reasons why more laws are being contemplated. Perhaps these new laws are in response to the failure of those who protest to willfully ignore existing laws. Think of it as a variant of the scientific principle about for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Think of it as the retaliation penalty assessed by the hockey referee. Think of it as a result of the lack of willingness of those who choose to protest to accept responsibility for their lack of respect for others. Or don’t think of it at all.

Ron Benn, a finance executive, has been a member of the Centrepointe Community Association for the better part of three decades.