POLICE DISPERSE ‘LARGE’ PROTEST AT MPP’S OFFICE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
MUSKOKA — For the second straight day another large gathering of people has been broken up by police here.
Officers dispersed the crowd of protesters outside the Manitoba Street constituency office of MPP Norm Miller late this afternoon.
A police media release about 90 minutes after the incident today said OPP officers “responded to a complaint from a member of the public about a large gathering that was occurring on Manitoba Street in front of the Member of Provincial Parliament Office.”
They say police responded, “spoke with those present and educated them on the illegal nature of such a gathering at this time” due to the restrictions found within the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) and the Reopening Ontario Act (A Flexible Response to COVID-19; ROA), 2020.
They say the crowd peacefully dispersed and no charges were laid.
The incident follows one Sunday morning where the pastor of a Bracebridge religious group was charged under the emergency act after 55 people took part in a service at a warehouse on Monica Lane.
And it also follows a viral video circulated on social media that shows a police officer confronting a “12-year-old” who was shoved to the ground Sunday at the skateboard park in Gravenhurst.
Police appear to be checking the park, which is closed to the public during the current pandemic lockdown, amid conflicting reports from the province about openness.
Erin Strength, who posted it on Facebook wrote: “They were apparently checking to see if they were wearing masks!!!! The officer grabbed the kids scooter and the kid went to get it back and that’s when he got shoved. This is disgusting!!!!”
See the link here
The Town of Gravenhurst issued a statement this afternoon say all parks are closed and signage has been posted.
The OPP, which is struggling with its response to the lockdown, says in its release that it is requesting that members of the public voluntarily comply with the new emergency orders and do their part to support the Government of Ontario’s health emergency declaration to limit transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
More information about the restrictions covered by the Government of Ontario’s declared State of Emergency and the updated enforcement provisions of EMCPA can be found https://covid-19.ontario.ca/zones-and-restrictions.
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April 19, 2021 @ 6:34 pm
Asking us to “voluntarily comply” with ridiculous restrictions like closing parks, asking us to allow officers to confront pre-teens as if they’re criminals for playing at a park. These are huge asks and I like to believe the people of Muskoka aren’t that STUPID. We won’t allow this here, and certainly cannot allow police to treat our children like this.