Brampton city council passes legislation to restrict protests nearby places of worship

Why Brampton banned protests at worship centres Brampton officials hope a bylaw restricting protests near places of worship will prevent future violent scenes within such vicinities.

The City of Brampton approved a new bylaw that it hopes will stop the recent religious violence in its region.

On Wednesday, city council unanimously passed a new piece of legislation that makes it illegal to protest within 100 metres of a place of worship.

"Our goal is to make sure whether you go to a mandir gurdwara, synagogue, a mosque, a church, everyone can pray in peace free of violence and intimidation," Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said.

While the bylaw bans demonstrations that cause a nuisance, councillors say the by-law is not meant to stop peaceful gatherings and demonstrations.

"When your rights to do so infringe upon the rights of others to be able to do prayer in a peaceful manner, that's where here in the City of Brampton we've taken the step to communicate and say, 'That is not permitted in our city,'" Coun. Paul Vicente said.

A push for this by-law came to the forefront earlier this month, after back-to-back demonstrations in Peel Region escalated to violence with religious groups clashing at temples and gurdwaras.

Videos from the Nov. 3 protest, outside of the Hindu Sabha Mandir on Gore Road, circulated online, showing participants using flagpoles and sticks as weapons.

Several people have been charged in connection with the protests, including the suspension of an off-duty Peel Regional Police officer, but it also came at a financial cost. The price tag for police protecting those places of worship has been pegged at $400,000.

With the new bylaw, anyone found guilty of breaking it could face a fine, ranging from $500 to $100,000.

"The temperature has cooled in terms of on the ground, we're not seeing those protests come up right now but that level of concern still exists," Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toor said.

There is, however, one loophole in the bylaw. Many places of worship also have large spaces and banquet halls, so if the space is rented out, people would still be allowed to peacefully protest.

"It does not include third-party rentals of a place of worship, it is specific to protecting the right to pray," Brown said.

The narrow scope has been done deliberately, Brown says, to ensure it is upheld against any civil rights challenges.