Toronto Just Said "Nah" to Protests Near Schools and Churches 🙅♀️🚫
Toronto City Council passes ‘bubble zone’ bylaw to limit protests around vulnerable institutions. Toronto City Council just dropped a new rule: keep the protests 50 meters away from places of worship, schools, hospitals, and libraries. They're calling it a "bubble zone," and it's gonna cost the city
TL:DR
Toronto City Council just dropped a new rule: keep the protests 50 meters away from places of worship, schools, hospitals, and libraries. They're calling it a "bubble zone," and it's gonna cost the city some serious 💰. Some ppl are vibing with it, others think it's sus. The rule kicks in on July 2nd. 👀
The Deets
Okay, so boom. Toronto City Council just voted in this new bylaw that's all about keeping protests away from certain spots. Like, if you're thinking about setting up shop outside a church, hospital, daycare, or library, you gotta stay at least 50 meters away. This is because of concerns about all the ❗"unplanned events"❗ that have been popping off around the city recently.
The whole thing got started 'cause the city wants to balance keeping everyone safe and sound with the whole "freedom of speech" thing. Apparently, protests have been extra lately, especially since the Israel-Hamas war started. So, they're trying to find a middle ground.
Now, here's the tea. The bylaw only happens if the owner of the property asks for it. And it's only gonna be around for a year, but they can renew it if they want. The city's gonna drop like $1.6 million to hire 12 bylaw officers to make sure everyone's playing nice, and another $200k to let ppl know what's up. If you break the rules, you could get hit with a $5,000 fine. Ouch. 😬
But here's where it gets spicy 🔥. When they asked ppl what they thought about all this, like 63% of ppl said they weren't feeling it. Some councilors are saying it's not a big deal and it doesn't mess with anyone's rights. Others are side-eyeing the whole thing, saying it might be violating the Charter rights. 👀
Toronto ain't even the first to do this tho, Vaughan and Brampton already have similar rules. The new rule is set to go live on July 2nd, so mark your calendars, fam. 🗓️
Abbreviations Glossary
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| Boom | Here's the situation. |
| The tea | The gossip, important information. |
| Sus | Suspicious, questionable. |
| Vibing | Agreeing, feeling positive about. |
| Spicy | Controversial or exciting. |
| Side-eyeing | Being skeptical or disapproving. |
| Fam | Friends. |