Risk of protesting in the street was obvious to everyone but Halton police, lawyer says

BURLINGTON — The fatal collision between a truck driver and a protestor at Burlington in June is an anomaly in farm country. But so too are the policies of the local police service.

Eastern Ontario agriculture lawyer Kurtis Andrews points out that the Halton Police’s approach to protests is significantly different from other police services. “The OPP and other jurisdictions (including Ottawa, where they have significantly more experience with how to deal with protestors on a daily basis) have published policies which clearly state that blocking a roadway is not acceptable as part of legal demonstrations,” Andrews said in a recent column.

Andrews added that the incident at Fearman’s pork processing facility at Burlington is a clear example of why allowing protestors in the street, in front of moving vehicles, is a bad idea. “The risks seem obvious to everyone, even before this tragedy.”

Andrews added that the police are allowed to detain people when “there is a bona fide risk to public safety. There is no greater proof of a risk to public safety than when someone is killed.”