City committee mulls updated proposed public spaces bylaw

The city's new rules governing behaviour in public spaces is once again stirring up debate. Jeremy Thompson has the latest.

New rules governing behaviour in public Edmonton spaces such as on transit and in parks are spurring debate like they did a year ago.

Dozens of people have been sharing their praise and criticism for the proposed Public Spaces Bylaw at city hall since Monday morning.

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Last year, city councillors sent the proposed bylaw back to administration for more work after hearing from 60 people, including several who felt it would be used to criminalize poverty rather than simply encourge good behaviour.

Among the proposals, the draft bylaw sought to ban visible drug use in public places, something harm-reduction advocates worried will lead to more deaths on Edmonton streets.

It also sought to restrict panhandling, require permits for events attended by more than 50 people and loosen rules for food trucks.

Among the updates to the proposed bylaw:

• regulate visible drug use in public places through a reduced fine of $25;

• require a permit for gatherings of more than 100 people;

• to not regulate sound amplification, such as loudspeakers, through it; and

• maintain a broad ban on outdoor sheltering;

The bylaw would replace three existing ones: the Public Places Bylaw, the Conduct of Transit Passengers Bylaw and the Parkland Bylaw.

The new version that administration presented to the city council’s community and public services committee on Monday includes a revamped transit space-use section among several updates.

It removes a section that banned people from using a speaker to amplify speech, which would have made activities like street preaching illegal.

More than 50 people signed up to speak to the committee, a lengthy process that began Monday morning after city staff made their case for the legislation.

Work on the proposed bylaw began more than two years ago, when city staff began to consider amendments to current bylaws in response to issues identified by council and the public.

Most of the speakers who registered in opposition to this bylaw feel it contains vague language that could be used by police or peace officers to target vulnerable or marginalized people, pointing to the $25 fine for ‘non-transit behaviour’ use as one example.

Some also take issue with requiring gatherings larger than 100 people have a permit, which they believe will affect protests.

The committee plans to send the final decision to the full city council for a vote in the coming weeks.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson