Beltline protests spur special Calgary Police Commission meeting

The Calgary Police Commission is holding a special meeting today to discuss the Calgary Police Service's response plan to the ongoing protests that have been flooding the Beltline every Saturday.

The first part of the meeting will be held behind closed doors, followed by a public portion where as much information as possible will be shared with Calgarians.

'Freedom' protesters say they plan to continue their weekly demonstrations around and along 17th Avenue each Saturday until all remaining COVID-19 mandates, including the vaccine requirement for air travel, are lifted.

Counter-protesters, who say they're fed up with these weekly rallies in the neighbourhood, blocked off a portion of 17h Avenue for more than an hour on Saturday.

The two groups met face to face, tensions reached a boiling point, and Calgary Police officers were witnessed, and recorded, shoving the counter-protesters back with their bikes.

The response from police sparked concern from many residents and elected city officials, including Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

"I definitely have an expectation that something (different) has to happen than what happened last weekend," said Gondek on Tuesday. "Because what happened last weekend was not great, and it's untenable moving into this weekend and the coming weekends."

The Calgary Police Commission says it has been in regular contact with CPS Chief Mark Neufeld leading up to the subsequent protests.

"Like city council, we have also received hundreds of emails and phone calls from Calgarians about these protests," said Shawn Cornett, commission chair. "We completely understand the impact this is having on the residents and businesses in the Beltline and want to make it end.

"This is an unprecedented situation that is extremely complicated legally and from a policing perspective, but we need to find a way to stop the disruptions that are undermining many residents' ability to enjoy their homes, businesses and community."

Both protest groups expect even more people to turn out for Saturday's demonstration.

People can send the police commission a written submission of 500 words or fewer ahead of Friday's meeting.

The public portion of the meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m.  Additional details are available here.