By Cheryl Jahn

Potential Protest Zones welcome

Sep 24, 2021 | 4:24 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – “I think all British Columbians are perplexed that at people who have a different point of view, a minority view, would choose to disrupt children in education settings or patients in health care settings to get their point across.”

That was how Premier John Horgan prefaced his answer to questions around anti-vaccine protests around hospitals across the province and the decision of three Salmon Arm schools to go into “hold and secure” status after demonstrators entered the schools a week ago to serve what they called a “notice of vaccine liability” to their principals.

It’s all prompted the premier to announce his government is looking at legislation to introduce protest zones similar to what the Quebec government did recently. That law prohibits anti-vaccine protesters from demonstrating within 50 metres of schools, daycares, hospitals, as well as covid-19 testing and vaccine sites. The fine doing so could be as much as $12,000.

Opposition leader Shirley Bond agrees with the move. In principle. But she wants to tread carefully. ”

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We want to make sure we don’t have adults in schools that shouldn’t be there,” says Opposition leader Shirley Bond. “We want to make that patients get to their care, their treatment and that staff feel safe in hospitals. It will be a matter of looking at the language.”

The President of the Prince George District Teachers Association is concerned about the impacts of something like the Salmon Arm on the kids.

“Why would we elevate a child’s fear like that? No,” says Joanne Hapke. “Go to where you need to. Go to the decision-makers. You can contact the principals, you can go to the superintendent, you can go to the Board of Trustees, you can go to our MLA’s. But you should not be taking your protest to the schools. “