Food Not Bombs Peterborough to work permit-free in park with bylaw amendment
Global News
City council has approved an amendment to a Parks and Facilities bylaw to allow staff to grant and revoke exemptions for specific activities in Confederation Square.
Grassroots group Food Not Bombs Peterborough can continue to serve food for those in need at Confederation Square in Peterborough, Ont., following a bylaw amendement approved by city council on Monday.
For nearly 19 years, the volunteer group has been providing free meals to those in need, first serving in the lobby of City Hall in 2005 until moving across the street to Confederation Square in 2011. Each Monday meals are served, consisting of food donated by farms, grocers and other community organizations.
But over the past few weeks, security hired by the city twice issued a no trespass for failing to have a permit. The city said the group was contravening a 2019 Parks and Facilities bylaw that bans tenting and offering food in public parks. That bylaw was first introduced to help address homelessness concerns at city parks.
Food Not Bombs Peterborough has argued it has never required a permit since it considers its work a “protest to war, poverty, and destruction of the environment.”
“Our sharing of food is an act of protest against unjust civic priorities and as we have been assured by the city, protests in Peterborough do not require permits,” volunteer Ben Rempel said to city council.
However, during city council’s meeting on Monday, council approved an amendment to the bylaw that would allow Food Not Bombs to bypass the permit requirement. The amendment allows city staff to grant and revoke exemptions for specific activities in Confederation Square.
There was also a change from administering tickets to issuing fines for anyone in contravention of the bylaw. Fines are $500 for the remainder of the first day on which a contravention occurs. They rise to $750 for each subsequent day that the bylaw is broken for activity conducted without a required permit or an exemption.
Food Not Bombs says that change is creating new concerns.
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