Province unlikely to seek injunction against anti-vax protestors, lawyer says

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Questions are being raised about what legal action, if any, the provincial government can take to ensure Wednesday’s protests outside several hospitals in B.C. doesn’t happen again.

In Vancouver, thousands gathered near Cambie Street and West 12 Avenue, crowding City Hall and Vancouver General Hospital. Similar protests also occurred outside hospitals in Kelowna, Victoria and Prince George.

Vancouver lawyer Kasandra Cronin doesn’t think it’s likely the province will seek a court injunction to stop protestors gathering outside hospitals.

Ambulance with flashing lights makes it was through anti-vaxx protestors at Vancouver City Hall. 12th and Cambie is an essential route for emergeny vehicles. @CKNW @GlobalBC pic.twitter.com/bZmQsx8eqm

— claire allen (@imclaireallen) September 1, 2021

“We’ve got five different health authorities, and obviously they’re overseen by the provincial government but they are independent of one another and each health authority might take a different approach.”

Cronin says that while an injunction is a long and difficult process, the right to protest is also embedded within Canadian law.

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“We live in a free and democratic society. In section two, the Charter protects people to protest peacefully,” she says. “And so it’s important, whether we agree or disagree with the message being sent, if it’s a peaceful protest, then that’s part of the fundamental fabric of living in a free and democratic society, and we can’t lose sight of that.”

This is a healthcare worker’s view from Vancouver General Hospital of protestors demonstrating against public health measures. pic.twitter.com/IUBjsaTo8G

— Crystal Laderas (@CrisLaderas) September 1, 2021

However, Cronin believes the protests around hospitals are directed at the wrong place.

“It’s really not the hospitals, or the workers at the hospitals, who are the people who are putting into place some of the restrictions that people are wishing to protest against. And the direction of those, from my view, ought to be directed at government.”

NEWS 1130 has reached out to the Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth, however he is not available for an interview.