Good morning. It’s James Keller in Calgary.
Alberta has lifted public-health measures related to COVID-19 faster than any other province. The vaccine-passport system was dismantled in February and masks haven’t been required in most places since the beginning of March. The provincial health authority is no longer demanding employees be vaccinated.
But that hasn’t stopped large crowds of protesters from continuing to hold weekly rallies and marches in Calgary. The protests have grown in size and residents of the city’s Beltline neighbourhood have said the participants have become louder and more aggressive. They have often featured a rowdy crowd marching through the Beltline carrying Canadian flags and signs opposing mandates and vaccines while also promoting other conspiracy theories.
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For months, the protesters have marched along the normally bustling entertainment district on 17th Avenue.
That seeming contradiction – continued protests even as health restrictions fall away – seems to have driven Beltline residents to something of a breaking point. A small group of counterprotesters blocked the march last week and were met with an aggressive response from police to clear them out of the way. In the week since, Mayor Jyoti Gondek has criticized the police force, as she and other members of city council demanded an end to protests they say have made life hell for residents and businesses in one of Calgary’s most dense neighbourhoods.
The city has now received a court injunction that will prohibit the march through the Beltline neighbourhood and limit many of the activities of protesters, including music, amplified speeches and operating vending booths at the rally.
Police Chief Mark Neufeld said residents should expect heavy police presence in the area on Saturday and that, while the goal remains to keep the peace and allow protesters to exercise their rights, officers will make arrests if the injunction is not followed. He was clear that there will be no march through the Beltline and along 17th Avenue on Saturday.
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The injunction was welcomed by Ms. Gondek. The mayor issued a statement that said the city would help enforce the injunction.
“Beltline residents, visitors and businesses have every right to lead their lives without fear and disturbance,” the statement said.
The local community association responded with cautious optimism that residents may be allowed a return to normalcy on Saturday and encouraged people to visit restaurants and patios that have suffered from the protests.
Community Solidarity Calgary, which has organized the counterprotests, said members of the group will gather nearby to discuss the situation and assess what is happening. On Twitter, the group said it was skeptical police will do what’s necessary to keep protesters from disrupting the neighbourhood.
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The protests against public-health measures have been happening in various forms in and around downtown Calgary since public-health measures were imposed in 2020.
The size of the protests have grown considerably in recent months, particularly after a convoy of transport trucks and other vehicles travelled to Ottawa in late January and paralyzed the national capital for weeks.
This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief James Keller. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.