The Council of Canadians drew a line on the pavement today to draw attention to the loss of civil liberties in Toronto due to the G20 summit.
Chairperson Maude Barlow put yellow tape on the ground to mark a 5-metre line from the fence and condemned the continued loss of democratic space in this city due to the summit.
What was this all about?
CBC reports today that, “Police forces in charge of security at the G20 summit in Toronto have been granted special powers for the duration of the summit.”
“The new regulations effectively expand the jurisdiction of the existing Public Works Act to apply to high-security areas of the summit site. Under the new regulations, anyone who comes within five metres of the security area is obliged to give police their name and state the purpose of their visit on request. Anyone who fails to provide identification or explain why they are near the security zone can be searched and arrested.”
“Ontario’s cabinet quietly passed the new rules on June 2 without legislature debate.”
“Anyone who refuses to identify themselves or refuses to provide a reason for their visit can be fined up to $500 and face up to two months in jail. The regulation also says that if someone has a dispute with an officer and it goes to court ‘the police officer’s statement under oath is considered conclusive evidence under the act.'”
The CBC article is at http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/06/25/g20-new-powers.html.
