The Ontario New Blue Party is speaking out against an NDP bill which would curtail protests outside all ages drag events..“It isn't a surprise the (Doug) Ford PCs favour this NDP bill,” said former Ontario New Blue MPP Belinda Karahalios (Cambridge) in a Wednesday statement. .“The PCs have favoured all of the social justice initiatives (including ‘bubble zones’) put forward by the NDP and the Liberals over the last five years and even before 2018.” .Bill 94 would allow Ontario’s Attorney General to create 100-m bubble zones around places where drag events are happening so anyone who is deemed to be engaging in hate speech or protesting could be fined up to $25,000..Former Canada’s Drag Race contestant Scarlett BoBo said Bill 94 needs to pass because people cannot allow fear to win..“A world without trans people has never existed,” said BoBo..“A world without drag has never existed, and it never will.” .Ontario Government House Leader Paul Calandra praised the bill, saying he thinks all MPPs “understand how important it is that everybody feel safe in the province of Ontario and that we honour everybody's rights to live and prosper in Ontario, regardless of who you are, who you love, and what god you worship.” .The statement said the Ontario PCs’s championing of social justice issues goes back for the last few years..The Ontario government was going to place a bubble zone around an abortion clinic in Kitchener, ON, in 2019. Karahalios stopped the PCs from moving forward with the plan by making clear she would not be silent on the issue..The idea of bubble zones originated in 2017 when former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne brought forward legislation similar to the NDP proposal. Bill 163 created 50 to 150 metre bubble zones around abortion clinics so anyone taking part in activities such as praying or holding an anti-abortion sign could be fined up to $10,000 or face one year in jail..Not one PC MPP voted against imposing bubble zones. After five years of the PCs being in government, the legislation remained in place and new applications for them were granted..Karahalios concluded by saying New Blue will “continue to hold the Ford PCs to account when they applaud and vote in favour of left-wing legislation — whether it is presented by the Ontario NDP, Liberals, or their own PC members.”.“We will continue to challenge the left, balance the narrative, and change the course,” she said..Calgary city council voted 10-5 to pass a bylaw which seeks to put distance between protestors and public facilities on March 14..READ MORE: Calgary city council votes to restrict protests outside community centres, libraries.“If these recommendations are approved, the proposed bylaws will protect all Calgarians, including members of communities that have historically and are currently experiencing exclusion and discrimination in our city,” said City of Calgary General Manager, Community Services Katie Black..The safe and inclusive access bylaw bans people from engaging in protests about human rights grounds within 100 metres of an entrance to a community centre or library. The public behaviour bylaw’s maximum penalty has been increased to a $10,000 fine or one year in prison.
