On Tuesday, Toronto City Councilmember James Pasternak filed a motion calling on the city to investigate the protests on the Highway 401 flyover to prevent a "catastrophic accident."
Pasternak tabled the motion at the city's Infrastructure and Environment Committee on Tuesday, asking staff to provide clarity on "existing security policies and available enforcement measures" to keep roads clear and to clarify who is responsible in the event of protests. In addition, the motion asks staff to provide a "list of safety and enforcement measures to keep pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles safe."
While the motion did not specify a specific protest group, Pasternak referred to the recent ongoing group demonstrations on the Avenue Road flyover in his speech on Monday.
He said the demonstrations ensured that drivers could see their demands by waving flags, hanging banners and using loudspeakers. In recent weeks, these demonstrations have led to several temporary closures of flyovers by the police.
"This is a dangerous, potentially catastrophic situation," Pasternak said, expressing concern about the protests taking place in the main Jewish community.
Protests on Avenue Road and Highway 401 flyovers were in the news over the weekend, with Toronto police officers being photographed on Jan. 6 delivering coffee and doughnuts to demonstrators, allegedly purchased by other protesters who had been prevented from participating in the rally.
The video of the incident sparked an apology from Toronto Police Commissioner Myron Demikiw, who said in a statement: "Regardless of the intentions, the impact has been to cause concern and confusion, and I am sorry for that." ”
Federal Congressman Marco Mendocino for the Eglinton-Lawrence constituency expressed his opinion on the recurring demonstration in a tweet. He suggested that the city designate the intersection as a "community safety zone" to prevent future demonstrations, but Toronto Deputy Mayor Michael Kohler rejected the suggestion on Monday.
Pasternak said the city has called the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to support control of the demonstrations, which have come and gone from time to time, but the officers' precincts have become obscured because the protests are taking place on a municipal road on a highway controlled by the provincial government.
A spokesperson for the Ontario Attorney General's Attorney General said in a statement released to CTV News Toronto on Monday: "Resource allocation is the responsibility of local law enforcement. The government is not involved in operational decision-making, and any request for support from the Ontario Police should be directed to them. ”
The motion, which passed after Monday's meeting, will be tabled to the City Council for a vote next month.