Canadian city proposes regulation that was originally intended to ‘cancel’ pro-life signs

CV NEWS FEED // An Ontario city in Canada has proposed an updated bill, originally aimed at pro-lifers, that would restrict free speech by imposing restrictions on the size and placement of posters.

The bill was created as a result of efforts to ban pro-life posters in the city of London, Canada.

London City Hall initially proposed updating its street bylaw to ban “an image or photograph showing or purporting to show a fetus or any part thereof,” CTV News reported. All posters and signs of unborn babies would be banned “from being publicly visible anywhere on a city street, including sidewalks and other public facilities.” The law is unprecedented in Ontario.

The original bill, which only included bans on pro-life signage, was met with threats of a court challenge that claimed the bill violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Following those potential challenges, city council expanded the bill to restrict the size and placement of posters about social and political issues, as explained in a separate CTV News article.

The current draft ordinance requires signs to be no more than 2.5 feet wide, 3 feet tall or 3 inches deep, and to be set back from a crosswalk by at least 10 feet.

CTV reported that pro-life protester John Bulsza expressed concerns that the updated bylaw still violates free speech. “The first thing that comes to mind is overkill,” Bulsza said. “The whole issue was about images, and now they’re making it general application.”

The city already has a rule against sending flyers with “graphic images,” which includes any images of unborn children. The flyers must be in an opaque envelope with a warning about the content.