City councillors approved new bylaws for special events and voted to proceed with the next steps for the controversial social infrastructure “bubble” bylaw at the council meeting on Wednesday.
The two special event bylaws address licensing, noise, food trucks, street harassment and nuisance parties and highways, all aspects that city staff say will make events “easier to plan, more efficient to coordinate and safer for everyone.”
According to the staff report, the hundreds of outdoor special events held each year in Ottawa contribute to investment, tourism and quality of life, with large festivals generating approximately 70,000 jobs and $320 million in spending.
With the new bylaws, the Ottawa Police Service retains its authority to manage demonstrations, but staff would be able to access better planning for special events and streamline permissions for business owners and vendors.
At Wednesday’s meeting, council also directed staff to begin work on a bylaw that would protect safe access to certain social infrastructure, such as places of worship and schools, during protests and demonstrations, thus creating “bubble zones.”
The direction will allow staff to undertake a review and broad consultation process, to be completed within 9 months.
This latest development is the most recent in an arduous and controversial process. After staff were first directed last year to examine the feasibility of such a bylaw, council was advised that a bubble bylaw could have legal implications and threaten certain charter rights.
The issue came to council after being passed by the Joint EmergencyPreparedness and Protective Services and Public Works and Infrastructure Committee last week, a decision that was made after two days of public delegations and committee deliberation.
Before the vote, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe acknowledged and thanked staff, councillors and delegates for consulting on the issue and confirmed his support for the original motion, which he seconded when it rose to council in 2024.
“Everyone respects the right to vote. Everyone believes that labour demonstrations and student protests and other events like that should be allowed to continue,” he said Wednesday. “And I think also, everyone believes that people should be able to access schools, places of worship and other important spaces without feeling threatened or intimidated.
“This is not an easy issue, but we didn’t avoid the issue; we chose to take it on, and we are showing leadership at committee. We found room for compromise, and we achieved a broad consensus on moving forward,” he continued. “The solution before us is balanced and thoughtful … careful and precise…. principled and prudent. It aligns with what’s happening in other communities and at other levels of government.”
He also said it “sends an important signal to the community” and “responds to the legitimate concerns and worries of many of our residents.”
The motion was passed with 21 in favour and three opposed — Councillors Jessica Bradley (Gloucester-Southgate), Sean Devine (Knoxdale-Merivale) and Shawn Menard (Capital).
Sutcliffe also verified with staff that councillors were not voting to enact a bylaw, but to direct staff to take the next steps for review and consultation.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting adjourned, Sutcliffe said he expects staff to conduct extensive research, which will include reviewing how other municipalities have addressed the same issues.
