The joint letter included below was written in response to a proposed bylaw that would limit where peaceful protests, pickets, and demonstrations would be allowed to take place in the City of Toronto. The letter was written and circulated to organizations while the bylaw was still being developed after a series of consultations.
On May 15, the staff report and recommendations were made public on the City's website. While the proposed bylaw amendments are narrower in scope than we have seen in other municipalities, we, and the constitutional legal experts we have consulted with, still believe new bylaws or changes to existing bylaws limiting Charter-protected rights and freedoms are either unnecessary (other tools already exist to protect communities from hate) or unconstitutional. Read our follow-up letter sent to Council on May 20.
Dear Mayor Olivia Chow and Members of City Council,
We are a group of nonpartisan community groups and non-profit organizations across Toronto with deep concerns about a new bylaw that will be considered at the City Council meeting in May 2025. We believe that the proposed Demonstrations Bylaw to Protect Vulnerable Institutions could restrict our right to protest within the city and limit our Charter-protected rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Many of us have also expressed concerns about the consultation process, as outlined in a joint letter to the City Manager.
Marginalized groups have used these fundamental freedoms to advocate for the many social and policy changes that we now as a society can enjoy. From strikes and picket lines to vigils and rallies, public demonstrations have been used to help win rights for workers and tenants, Indigenous, racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, as well as protections for the environment, and for families fleeing violence.
However, the City of Toronto is considering a bylaw to restrict certain kinds of peaceful demonstrations outside of what they call “vulnerable institutions,” which in other jurisdictions have included places of worship, faith-based schools, cultural institutions, child care centres, and congregate settings like seniors’ homes. If passed, we are concerned that the “bubble zone” bylaw could limit our Charter-protected rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, silence marginalized communities’ voices in particular, lead to police overreach, and inadequately respond to hate. The passing of a bylaw in Toronto may also have implications for other jurisdictions in Ontario and would restrict groups outside of Toronto from protesting within Toronto’s boundaries, including Queen’s Park.
The City’s policy framework claims that it is designed to keep Torontonians safe from hate, and that it is not intended to prohibit “lawful” demonstrations. Yet the police already have extensive powers to address a range of conduct that is not physically violent during protests. Broad rules enabling government censorship is not the answer here. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has expressed concerns that broad rules 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.
Many of us represent marginalized communities that the bylaw is purporting to protect. We deliver services for seniors, children and youth (including childcare centres), newcomers, and women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people fleeing violence, as well as health care services. This is an issue of protecting free expression, a crucial cornerstone of a free and fair democracy. For all of us, and particularly given the alarming suppression of rights and freedoms we are witnessing in the U.S., we urge you to remember your legal obligations to uphold Charter rights and freedoms and protect our democracy.
Signed,
Jin Huh, Executive Director, Social Planning Toronto
Michelle Dagnino, Executive Director, Jane Finch Community and Family Centre
Keddone Dias, Executive Director, LAMP Community Health Centre
Bonnie Hunter, Executive Director, North York Community House
Pamela Uppal-Sandhu, Interim Co-Executive Director & Director of Policy, Ontario Nonprofit Network
Bill Sinclair, Executive Director, The Neighbourhood Group Community Services
Sree Nallomothu & Rob Howarth, Co-Executive Directors, Toronto Neighbourhood Centres
Jehad Aliweiwi, Executive Director, Laidlaw Foundation
Maritza Sanchez, Executive Director, Red Door Family Shelter
Saman Tabasinejad, Executive Director, Progress Toronto
Cameron Watts, Minister, Fairlawn Avenue United Church
Nasima Akter, Executive Director, Bangladeshi-Canadian Community Services
Heather McGregor, Chief Executive Officer, YWCA Toronto
Christie McQuarrie, Executive Director, West Scarborough Community Legal Services
Elene Lam & Soyoung Lee, Co-Executive Directors, Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Worker Support Network
Chiara Padovani, Co-Chair, York South-Weston Tenant Union
Maria Christina Conlon, Community Minister, Davenport Perth Community Ministry
Andrea Vásquez Jiménez, Director & Principal Consultant, Policing-Free Schools
Nas Yadollahi, President, CUPE Local 79
Fred Hahn, President, CUPE Ontario
Lidia Monaco, CEO, Operation Springboard
Chris Brillinger, Executive Director, Family Service Toronto
Alejandra Ruiz-Vargas, Marva Burnett, Rama Fayaz, Marcia Stone, Jacquie Mitchell, & Monique Gordon, Board Members, Toronto ACORN
Reverend Canon Maggie Helwig, Rector, Church of St Stephen-in-the-Fields
Andrew Pulsifer, Executive Director, TTCriders
Sultana Jahangir, Executive Director, South Asian Women's & Immigrants Services
Ahmed Hussein, CEO, The Neighbourhood Organization
John Stapleton, Policy Analyst, Open Policy
Brandon Haynes, President, Toronto Public Library Workers Union - Local 4948 (CUPE)
Guled Arale, Program Coordinator, Scarborough Civic Action Network
Patti Pettigrew, Executive Direcctor, Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society
Jennifer Chambers, Executive Director, Empowerment Council
Dawn Sutherland, Executive Director, Anduhyaun Inc.
Lee Soda, Executive Director, ACSA Community Services
Sahar Vermezyari, Director, East Scarborough Storefront - MakeWay Charitable Society
Harmy Mendoza, Executive Director, WomanACT
Hunain Sindhu, President, Scarborough Campus Students Union
Trevor Manson, Co-Chair, ODSP Action Coalition
Paul Shepherd, Minister, Chapel in the Park United Church
Debbie Douglas, Executive Director, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Rev'd Canon Andrea Budgey, Priest-in-charge, Saint Theodore of Canterbury
Donna Spreitzer, Executive Director, Toronto Community for Better Child Care
Bill Worrell, Board Chairperson, Oakwood Vaughan Community Organization
Asif Khan, Research and Policy Analyst, Income Security Advocacy Centre
Elin Goulden, Social Justice & Advocacy Consultant, Anglican Diocese of Toronto
Rene Adams, Member, Canadian Lived Experience Leadership Network
Adolpho West, Senior Policy Advisor, Centre for Lasting Solutions
Matt Johnstone, Executive Director, FoodShare Toronto
Rejwan Karim, Acting Associate Executive Director, Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services
Eleanor Yang, Executive Director, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter
Kemi Jacobs, Executive Director, Delta Family Resource Centre
Nasseradin Abdullah, Executive Director, Wadi Kaja Organization for Refugees and Immigrants
Mulugeta Abai, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Torture Victims
Dr. Sudip Minhas, Executive Director, Settlement Assistance & Family Support Services
Vanda Henriques, Executive Director, Working Women Community Centre
Kelly Potvin, Executive Director, Elizabeth Fry Toronto
Christopher Nkambwe, Executive Director, The African Centre for Refugees in Ontario-Canada
Marina Nikova, Executive Director, Working Skills Centre
Tsering Lhamo, Co-Executive Director, FCJ Refugee Centre
Aasiya Hussain, Executive Director & CEO, Ecohesian
Aadil Nathani, Co-Founder, Green Ummah
Tabassum Wyne, Executive Director, Muslim Advisory Council of Canada
Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director, Justice For All Canada
Dada Gasirabo, Executive Director, Oasis Centre des femmes
Brad Evoy, Executive Director, Disability Justice Network of Ontario
Sid Jackson, Member, Voices 4 Unhoused Liberation
Calum Houston, Community Organizer, Harm Reduction Advocacy Collective