Letter: South Bruce Peninsula Council's Anti-Picketing Bylaw Violates Our Charter Rights
Karen Gventer shares her concern about SBP's decision to uphold a bylaw that requires municipal authorization for expressions of peaceful protest, and encourages residents to take a stand.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my strong concern about a decision by the Town of South Bruce Peninsula municipal council. On August 5, 2025, council voted to continue to prohibit picketing (unless authorized), which is a paragraph within the Nuisance by-law.
Kudos to Deputy Mayor Caleb Hull, who spoke to and voted to abolish this part of the by-law.
A key Canadian value is to permit people to express their opinions in a visible manner. Peaceful picketing is permitted under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — and if it's not peaceful picketing, it's already a contravention of existing laws, and police can be called.
I'm ashamed to live in a municipality that has a by-law to prohibit any picketing in a public place, including peaceful picketing.
Regardless of how the municipal council or staff say they interpret the by-law, the plain language of the by-law prohibits picketing in or on any public place unless authorized by the Town (or by the person under contract with the Town for the use of the Public Place).
I encourage residents of the Town of South Bruce Peninsula to contact the municipal council to request or demand that they overturn the decision, and abolish the prohibition on picketing. The municipal council contact information can be found here, and their email addresses are formatted firstname.lastname@southbrucepeninsula.com.
Here is some background information. The ”By-Law to Prohibit and Regulate Public Nuisance” was implemented in May 2020. Paragraph 2.1 in the by-law states,
“No person shall picket in or on any Public Place unless authorized by the Town or authorized by the person under contract with the Town for the use of the Public Place.”
According to the by-law, "Picket" shall mean any activity associated with protesting/objecting and may include the display of signs, placards, flags, shirts, hats, etc, which portrays a message, symbols or marks, silence, shouting, chanting, singing, marching, standing or sitting.
"Public Place" means any property, location, lot, beach, facility, park, cemetery, parkette, parking lot, building (inside and outside), highway, sidewalk, recreational amenity, tennis court, ball diamond, campground, etc. owned by, occupied by or under the custody and control of the Town.
The discussion occurred at the council meeting (between 21 and 53 minutes):
While this by-law contravenes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the municipality will continue to get away with having the by-law if it is not challenged.
Sincerely,
Karen Gventer
Resident of Town of South Bruce Peninsula
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
Seems a perfect reason to organize a peaceful protest outside city hall, placards outlining the insanity.