At the regular February 9th City Council meeting, I put forth a motion for the City Solicitor to pursue getting an injunction on fire hazards such as open flames, the use of jerry cans, and vehicle idling.
On Monday, February 7 a Special City Council meeting was held to discuss the occupation and its effects on residents. The following motions were passed at the Special City Council Meeting to deal with the ongoing demonstration in Ottawa.
- Calling on both the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada to provide all necessary financial and logistical supports required to bring the protest to a peaceful end and allow the City of Ottawa to return to normal.
- Condemning the racism, antisemitism and discrimination respectively experienced by the Black, Jewish, Muslim, racialized and members of the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex (2SLGBTQI+) communities.
- Requiring staff to advise Council on the status of enforcement activities related to the demonstration, including number of vehicles towed, and numbers and nature of tickets issued.
- Removing vehicles illegally parked in residential areas and addressing ongoing impacts of continued by-law violations by these individuals.
- Petitioning the federal government to assume responsibility for public safety and security within the Parliamentary Precinct and to commit to an increased level of support of the Ottawa Police Service.
- Asking for an independent evaluation of the response to the demonstration.
- Requesting both the provincial and federal governments fund supports for Ottawa businesses, employees and community social support agencies impacted by the protest.
- Seeking increases to noise, idling, use and care of roads and open-air fire by-law set fines to $1,000.
- Amending the existing idling by-law to allow idling in occupied vehicles only when the temperature outside is less than -15 C including the windchill within the protest area.
- Holding daily media availabilities for the duration of the truck convoy demonstrations.
- Seeking permission from the Province to recover demonstration-related policing costs from any persons deemed responsible for such costs.
