UPDATES:

• April 7, 2011 - VPSN Newsletter – Discussion of “Structures” debate at City Council (blog)
• April 12, 2011 – VPSN Letter to Mayor Robertson & City Council on proposed “Structures” bylaw amendments (blog) (pdf)

MEDIA RELEASE: Wednesday, April 6, 2011

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Public Space Network (VPSN) and BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) are jointly calling on the City of Vancouver to reject proposed changes to the City’s Street and Traffic Bylaw.

The amendments, outlined in a staff report on “Public Expression” would serve to constrain political activity in the City by requiring upwards of $1,200 in upfront fees and permitting costs for any political or non-commercial activity that utilizes a “structure, object, substance or thing” in the course of message making.

The proposed changes will be bundled into the existing Street and Traffic bylaw. They are the result of a court case in which the City lost in its attempt to limit Falun Gong protests in front of the Chinese consulate.

The proposed amendments do not expressly ban structures and other “things,” but makes it highly impractical for certain kinds of demonstrations to go forward because of limitations that include

• A refundable security of $1,000 for removal of the structure;
• A maximum of four demonstration permits per year;
• Payment of $200 application fee to cover costs of application review ($50 fee for permit renewal of same structure and location);
• A guarantee that there will be no structures on city streets between 8pm and 8am.

According to Andrew Pask, Director of the VPSN, “these proposed amendments could constrain everything from anti-HST tables to salmon-farming displays to anti-war vigils… anything, in essence, that utilizes more than a placard to help get the message out.”

According to Micheal Vonn, Policy Director of the BCCLA, “the new process would prove to be a major impediment to a whole array of voices – smaller organizations, unfunded initiatives, poverty activism, grassroots tabling activities, and a spectrum of the sort of important messaging that we need in a democratic society.”

The proposed report is available online at http://vancouver.ca and will be debated tomorrow, Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 2:00pm at the City Services and Budget meeting, City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue.

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Panelists include:

• Professor Steve Herbert, University of Washington
• Irwin Oostindie, Downtown Eastside Community Arts Network
• Dave Park, Vancouver Board of Trade
• Micheal Vonn, BC Civil Liberties Association
• Sheryl Williamson-Harms, West End Citizens Action Network

Help us to pass the word on. Tell your friends and colleagues – and make sure you come out for one of the most important discussions of the year.

For more details, see our Project Civil City webpage – or punch www.civilcity.ca into your browser!