"It's a parade": Calgary mayor denounces weekly rallies protesting public health mandates
Weekly protests in Calgary calling for the end of all COVID-19 public health measures have increased tensions among Beltline residents and business owners. The demonstrations have now garnered the attention of the city’s mayor.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek took to Twitter over the weekend to express her thoughts on the protests, calling enforcement agencies to take further action.
The Saturday rallies have been going on for the past year, beginning at Central Memorial Park in the city’s Beltline community before marching down 17th Avenue SW.
Mayor Gondek tweeted on Saturday evening that she had spoken with Beltline residents and businesses that morning and was in the community that afternoon. “The weekly disruption this community faces is not a ‘protest.’ It’s a parade. At Central Memorial Park, it’s a festival with merch [and] food vendors. Yet no permits or licenses,” the mayor wrote.
While City Council has no formal ability to direct the police or other enforcement bodies, Gondek said that they can be vocal and stand with their fellow Calgarians.
“Why not enforce the bylaws?” Gondek continued in the Twitter thread. “Why is the standard response that this will ‘fizzle out’? It won’t.”
She went on to say that the protests aren’t about mandates, as they are now lifted in Alberta.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney made similar comments during a media availability on Sunday, saying, “I’m not sure what the protests are about because Alberta effectively does not have any more public health measures. They’ve all been lifted some time ago.”
“I would suggest that maybe people could find more productive ways of expressing their frustration,” continued Kenney, “but maybe here’s an idea – how about we all just move on from the frustration of COVID? How about we leave it in the rearview mirror?”
According to Calgary Freedom Central, which describes itself as “a community news page providing rally info and coverage of the freedom movement in Alberta,” the protests are not affiliated with any official organization.
“The Saturday freedom rally at Central Memorial Park is a grassroots, community-driven protest,” wrote Calgary Freedom Central in a Facebook post on March 14. “It is part of a nationwide people’s movement, with the simple demand of ending all medical mandates in Canada and restoring respect for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
“This rally has been ongoing at Central Memorial Park and 17th Avenue for the past year, without incident or complaint,” added Calgary Freedom Central.
The group also addressed Gondek’s comments about vendors at the protest, saying that the people setting up booths next to the rally are doing so independently and not on behalf of any organization representing the protest itself.
“The booths are mainly rally attendees selling shirts with homemade freedom prints, as well as freedom activists providing pamphlets and info,” the post reads. “These booths started appearing spontaneously at the rallies many months ago, and the city and police have never expressed any concern over them before.”
The Calgary Police Commission issued a statement on Monday in regard to concerns about the Beltline protests, calling the rally “disruptive, divisive and are undermining many residents’ ability to enjoy their homes, businesses and community.”
The Commission said that they have been in discussions with the Calgary Police Service and City Council to “try [to] find a solution that respects people’s Charter rights to protest and peacefully assemble, while also stopping the disproportionate impact these protests are having on communities in our city’s core.”
“This past weekend’s events show a clear escalation in the situation that needs to be addressed,” continues the statement, “and everyone involved will continue working together this week to find a better path forward.”
Calgary City Council is holding a special meeting at 1:45 pm on Tuesday, during which they’re expected to discuss how the city can address residents’ and businesses’ concerns about the ongoing protests.
“By waiting for this to die out, enforcement agencies have allowed it to grow,” tweeted Gondek. “Telling residents/businesses to wait it out = shameful.”
“It’s past time to deal with people not following the law. It’s past time to support people in their own communities [and] businesses. It’s past time to face the fact that this ‘protest’ requires more than ‘crowd control.’ Enforcement must stand with the community,” the mayor added.