Downtown Toronto roads reopen after expected protest didn’t materialize
Roads around Queen’s Park, hospital row were closed for several hours
CBC News · Posted: Sep 26, 2023 5:07 AM PDT | Last Updated: September 26
Toronto police used cruisers, SUVs and city garbage trucks to temporarily block road access to the provincial legislature on Tuesday. (Clara Pasieka/CBC)
Toronto police reopened roads around Queen’s Park and hospital row in the downtown core Tuesday after an anticipated convoy-style protest didn’t materialize.
Police had closed stretches of Queen’s Park Crescent, University Avenue and Wellesley Street for several hours in advance of what they said was a possible “demonstration involving a large number of vehicles.”
The closures were intended to keep emergency routes to downtown hospitals open and limit other disruptions in the area, police said.
In a tweet announcing the road reopenings, police said they would “continue to monitor, assess, and act upon the latest, credible information.
“We thank the public for their patience.”
Earlier Tuesday, Insp. Suzanne Redman said a protest was planned by an informal group calling itself “Save the Children,” unrelated to the international non-profit organization of the same name.
There was a heavy police presence throughout the morning on the grounds of the provincial legislature, which included officers from the Toronto Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police.
Author of the article:Postmedia NewsPublishing date:Jan 03, 2021 • Last Updated 41 minutes ago • 2 minute read
Calgary police and bylaw officers patrolled Bowness Park for crowed control and social distancing in Calgary on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Photo by Darren Makowichuk /Postmedia Network
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Shocking video has been doing the rounds of police in Gatineau, Quebec, busting up a family gathering of six people on New Year’s Eve.
The event featured two older parents and two of their adult children, who were accompanied by their partners. A neighbour apparently called the police to rat them out.
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Two of them were arrested and all of them were fined. The video, like most such videos, does not tell the full story. But from what it does show, it appears the police response was excessive.
Did all of those cops who showed up have nothing better to do? Was there no real crime going on in Gatineau that evening?
We support many of the restrictions put in place to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 across Canada. What we do not support though is over-the-top enforcement of these rules.https://www.youtube.com/embed/uL5jSGOll_w?embed_config={%27relatedChannels%27:%20[],%27autonav%27:true}&autoplay=0&playsinline=1&enablejsapi=1
Instead of outright criminalizing the deeply personal ritual of family holiday gatherings, public health officials should have offered recommendations on how to facilitate safe and responsible gatherings — such as isolating in advance and only inviting over low-risk persons.
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People go to great lengths in normal times to gather over the holidays, making elaborate travel arrangements and rearranging their work schedules. They could have maturely handled holiday gathering protocols.
We are deeply concerned about excessive enforcement of minor infractions. Take, for instance, the policing of mask laws.
We support indoor mask mandates. But the very officials implementing them describe masks as simply an added layer of protection.https://www.youtube.com/embed/chpqhWwBUSk?embed_config={%27relatedChannels%27:%20[],%27autonav%27:true}&autoplay=0&playsinline=1&enablejsapi=1
Should you wear one in a store? Yes. Is it the end of the world if one person in a store doesn’t? No.
Nobody needs to call the cops because one guy isn’t wearing a mask. If bylaw or police officers stumble upon someone without a mask, they should politely remind them that they really should be masked up or, at the most, issue them a fine.
Instead, there have been scenes of police dragging people out of stores for not wearing masks. That is not a proportionate response, and it’s not an appropriate use of taxpayer-funded police resources.
Politicians and public health officials need to get with the program. Police need to cool it.
