Groups intent on skirting COVID-19 regulations won’t be exempt from those same regulations while protesting, says a Barrie police official.
Recently, a local advocacy group Hugs Over Masks – Barrie chapter has started running weekly protests at Centennial Beach in Barrie. On Sept. 23, they also held a protest at Barrie City Hall.
Supporters take issue with the mask policy the government has imposed on all indoor facilities in the province. They describe themselves as a group of people “formed from the need to work together in pursuit of restoring our civil liberties, democracy and way of life during these unprecedented times.”
However, Barrie police say they won’t hesitate to lay charges at a protest if things get out of hand.
“Now that we’re into the second wave, we know that the watchful eyes of the community are becoming more watchful," said Peter Leon, communications co-ordinator with the Barrie police. "There are people who are following the rules to ensure the safety and help of the community, but if there are people that aren’t promoting safety, then it has to be looked into.
“We don’t want to get into situations where we have large gatherings of people like we did in Wasaga Beach,” he added.
Last weekend, a Wasaga Beach car rally resulted in OPP officers issuing 172 provincial offence notices during the event, and 11 offence notices directly related to gathering rules laid out in the Reopening Ontario Act.
According to the Act, an organizer of an outdoor event with more than 25 attendees can be fined up to $10,000.
The fine for not wearing a mask while not socially distancing is $750, with a victim-of-crime surcharge of $125 added on.
“If somebody sees a gathering like that taking place and reaches out to us, it’s a lot easier for us to respond with the appropriate level of police response,” said Leon. “We encourage people to let us know.”
In regards to the Hugs Over Masks protest on Sept. 23, Leon said Barrie police did attend, however as there were about 20 attendees, the group was within the 25-person maximum for an outdoor gathering.
He said attendees were spoken with about not wearing masks or socially distancing.
“It was a peaceful demonstration. There was a little bit of a discussion that got heated, but it was quickly dealt with and didn’t become a major issue,” said Leon.
No tickets were deemed necessary as the group dispersed shortly after ward.
“As far as them gathering on a regular basis, we encourage people to contact us should they see a gathering over 25 people,” he added, saying that if a charge ever needed to be laid, the police wouldn’t hesitate to do so.
“People are entitled to protest, peacefully. This is a democratic right of being a Canadian,” said Leon. “However, people must realize we’re listening to our local, provincial and federal medical officers of health and they’re providing great advice and support to the political leaders of our communities. Out of respect for one another, it’s important for people to do what’s asked of them.
“We don’t want to get to a place where we’re going back to Stage 2. We’ve come so far as a community and a society. We all have to do our part,” he said. “It’s about keeping our community safe and healthy.”
Leon clarifies that the vast majority of people locally are following the rules.
“If people decide not to, then they have to be prepared to pay the price,” he said.
