Canadian Civil Liberties Association is calling for:
1. Repeal or significant amendment to the Public Works Protection Act to meet basic constitutional standards
2. Withdrawal of all charges laid under the Public Works Protection Act
3. Implementation of consultation and transparency requirements for regulatory processes
4. Apology from the Ontario government for the process used to adopt the designation pursuant to the Public Works Protection Act
5. Legislative framework for the establishment of security perimeters
6. Regulation of new crowd control technologies prior to their use and deployment
7. Compensation for the business owners affected and those wrongfully arrested
8. Amendments to the Criminal Code to modernize and bring up to constitutional standards the provisions relating to “breach of the peaceâ€, “unlawful assemblies†and “riotsâ€
9. Full independent public inquiry into the actions of the police during the G20, in particular:
a. The dispersal of protesters at the designated demonstration site in Queen’s Park late afternoon, Saturday June 26th
b. The detention and mass arrest on the Esplanade on the night of Saturday June 26th
c. The arrests and police actions outside the Eastern Ave. detention centre on the morning of Sunday, June 27th
d. The prolonged detention and mass arrest of individuals at Queen St. W. and Spadina Ave. on the evening of Sunday, June 27th
e. The conditions of detention at the Eastern Ave. detention centre
Ontario regulation 233/10. Public Works Protection Act
Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair now says there was not a five metre rule outside the security fence.
Toronto Police Services have a board in place which will submit a review to the Integrated Security Unit.
The Ontario Government says it will not call an inquiry into in G20 decisions, that it would be too costly and it is up to the federal government.
Over 14 thousand people have joined a Facebook page calling for an independent public inquiry.
I got in touch with people I know in the government. Here is what I can report about the three main criticisms, which are:
1. That the McGuinty cabinet passed new, sweeping/extended/expanded powers for police.
2. That they did so in secret.
3. That these secret new sweeping/extended/expanded powers were what the police used to arrest people, arguably unconstitutionally.
None of the above, I can report, are true.
