Council will send a letter to the police commission encouraging more enforcement against freedom protesters
City council spent 90 minutes debating fallout from the duelling protests on Saturday, which includes the weekly anti-mandate protesters.
A smaller secondary protest met the group head-on Saturday, blocking their path down their usual route.
Police used force to move the counter demonstrators away, by pushing the handlebars of their bikes into protesters.
"We didn’t force them to push their bikes into us, we didn’t provoke anything we were standing there, and we refused to move and they decided to come after us," said Hunter Yaworkski, one of the group’s organizers.
Now council will send a letter, drafted by the mayor to the police commission, the body that oversees the Calgary Police Service.
Ward 2 councillor Jennifer Wyness brought forth a motion that would extend an olive branch to organizers of the freedom rallies to allow them to have their voices heard at council under the contingency that the protests end.
"It’s really easy to represent people that agree with you, but it's a lot harder when you don’t agree with the people," said Wyness.
"This is where we really have to dig deep as a council and find a solution through this problem."
She was supported by several on council for proposing an idea to draw an end to demonstrations.
"Everyone needs to be heard, it doesn’t matter what side you are on, we are council and we are here to listen," said Ward 1 councillor Sonya Sharp.
However she was heavily criticized by veteran councillor Gian-Carlo Carra who believes this platforms the group, one he calls ‘racist.’
She eventually withdrew her motion, leaving council with a letter they would send.
Police say 2,000 people were present last Saturday, with a smaller opposition protest made up of residents, businesses and "professional protesters."
Police chief Mark Neufeld on Monday said there are demonstrators on both sides that are seeking conflict, saying both became uncooperative.
He does not expect to see a solution by Saturday.
"I definitely have an expectation that something (different) has to happen than what happened last weekend," said Calgary's mayor Jyoti Gondek.
"Because what happened last weekend was not great and it's untenable moving into this weekend, and the coming weekends."
Freedom organizer Jake Eskesen said he appreciated the effort of some on council willing to create dialogue with protesters.
He added that protesters will continue protesting until federal mandates such as mandatory vaccination for air travel are lifted.
"Ultimately it is the grassroots rally attendees that will decide when the protests need to evolve or come to an end," he said.
"A conclusion to the protest is foreseeable if all federal mandates come to an end."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

NEW 'My door is always open': heritage minister insists feds working hard 'to bring Meta back to the table' on C-18
Canada's heritage minister insists the federal government is still working to get Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta back to the bargaining table to negotiate a deal to compensate Canadian news organizations as part of the regulatory process for the controversial Online News Act.
Search for runaway kangaroo in Ontario continues
The search continues for the kangaroo that is hopping around somewhere in Ontario after it escaped zoo handlers from a transport truck Thursday night.
What was a hospital like in medieval times? Researchers analyzed 400 skeletons to find out
In medieval times, hospitals took care of the 'poor and infirm,' but how were inhabitants selected and what were their lives like? Researchers analyzed 400 skeletons to find out.
U.S. assassination attempt charges 'confirm' Trudeau's claims about India had 'real substance,' former national security advisers say
The indictment of an Indian national for the attempted assassination of a Sikh separatist and dual U.S.-Canadian national 'validates' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen as having 'real substance,' according to two of Canada's former national security advisers.
Bonnie Crombie wins Ontario Liberal leadership after 3 rounds of voting
Ontario Liberals have selected Bonnie Crombie, a three-term big city mayor and former MP who boasts that she gets under the skin of Premier Doug Ford, as their next leader to go head to head with the premier in the next provincial election.
James Webb Telescope confirms existence of massive dusty galaxy from early universe
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed the existence of a massive, dusty, star-forming galaxy which was first spotted years ago by a ground telescope, but was completely invisible to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Rocky planets may be able to form under more high-stress scenarios than previously known: study
A study of one of the most extreme, radiation-heavy environments in the universe has found that it might be possible for rocky planets comprised of water, carbon and other familiar molecules to form under far more intense circumstances than previously believed.
Trump calls Biden the 'destroyer' of democracy despite his own efforts to overturn 2020 election
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Saturday attempted to turn the tables on his likely rival in November, President Joe Biden, arguing that the man whose election victory Trump tried to overturn is "the destroyer of American democracy."
Teen girls are being victimized by deepfake nudes. One family is pushing for more protections
A mother and her 14-year-old daughter are advocating for better protections for victims after AI-generated nude images of the teen and other female classmates were circulated at a high school in New Jersey.