City of Ottawa seeks its own injunction over 'flagrant' bylaw violations
Move comes as demonstration enters 3rd weekend, Windsor, Ont., gets injunction for blockade
The City of Ottawa's top lawyer says the municipality is seeking its own injunction against "flagrant and repeated violations" of its bylaws as the occupation of downtown streets continues into a third weekend.
City solicitor David White says an injunction would "supplement" orders included in the state of emergency now in place, as announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday.
"Given the continued violations, legal services is moving to seek extraordinary injunctive relief from the court, as soon as possible," White wrote in a memo to council on Friday.
The province's emergency order raises fines as high as $100,000, which White said could help deal with the vehicles obstructing roads and public transit routes.
White said attempts to enforce the city's bylaws governing noise, idling, open fires, fireworks, and encroachment of roads have not had "a deterrent effect."
"This action is an effort to restrain the observed widespread disregard by many of those involved in the demonstration for the rule of law," he said.
White said he expects to have a hearing in the coming days.
The memo hit councillors' inboxes just as the City of Windsor and automotive groups successfully received an injunctive order to end the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a critical international trade connection, which began Monday.
Why not sooner?
This injunction request also comes four days after a judge granted an injunction against the constant noise from truck horns in the downtown core, and 15 days after the first trucks showed up in downtown Ottawa.
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Since the occupation of downtown streets began, the city solicitor had been asked several times why the City of Ottawa had not yet taken the step.
White said he had materials prepared but cautioned the city needed to know an injunction would in fact help police, and officers would be able to enforce it. He pointed to struggles to tow trucks from the demonstration, as one example.
More details on Ottawa's injunction application are expected when city council holds another special meeting on Monday.