Saskatoon anti-abortion protest sparks graphic image bylaw petition

Last week, residents in Saskatoon and Regina were jarred after seeing graphic images displayed by protesters throughout both cities.

The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR) confirmed in an email it was the group behind protests in Saskatoon and Regina last week.

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“While the frequency of our displays varies, our goal is to show all Canadians that abortion dismembers and decapitates the youngest members of the human family,” Quiana Casamayor stated in the email on behalf of the organization.

The statement said the organization brings a message of peace to end the “violence” of abortion.

“With children being killed every day in our country, we present photographic evidence of the injustice of abortion and the humanity of pre-born children in communities across Canada, including those in Saskatchewan, as often as possible throughout the year, advocating for human rights for all human beings,” the organization stated.

Jayne Walters, executive director of the Broadway Business Improvement District (BID), said they noticed a group of about 12 young people protesting along various parts of Broadway on Aug. 11, 12 and 14.

“We actually didn’t notice it ourselves at the BID office until we had businesses calling our phone line to ask questions, inquire and find out what was going on, and that’s what actually brought us out onto the street,” Walters said in an interview.

Walters spoke to the protest organizer and also fielded many concerns from businesses in the area. The group of protesters, which is not from Saskatchewan, would show up in an area of the city like Broadway for a few hours at a time, she explained.

“It was a calm protest. There was no shouting or anything, but there was significant concern for both physical and psychological safety,” she said.

Walters said the signs held by the protesters were “quite large” and “quite graphic.”

“And so it was concerning just the nature of the imagery people were trying to avert their eyes from seeing it, but then in doing so it was unsafe to cross at the crosswalks,” she said, noting traffic safety concerns as a result.

Walters also said there were so many protesters that sometimes, a person trying to walk past would encounter two or three people in their way, trying to engage in dialogue and handing them pamphlets.

Some customers at local cafes said they were not willing or wanting to leave while protesters remained on the streets. Some people were deterred from visiting the Broadway area entirely while the protests were happening.

“Members of the public who were visiting Broadway were getting into verbal conversations and some arguing with the protesters, but there was no violence and nothing hands-on,” Walters explained.

She said Saskatoon police officers also attended where the protests were happening each day.

The Saskatoon Police Service reported two official reports being made on the protesters. They said there could have been additional callers, as well.

Similar protests last week in Regina resulted in no more than 10 calls to the police’s non-emergency line. Regina police said there was no criminal aspect to the protests and the service acknowledged people’s right to peacefully protest.

Walters said the Broadway BID has always welcomed public advocacy and exists to support the independent businesses in the area.

“We do know that people have a right to protest in public space and that is important,” she said. “But we definitely don’t condone graphic imagery as a means of protest, just because of the potential for psychological and safety harm.”

Walters said the organization never asked the protesters to leave, but did advise them about rules around protesting on private property and around cultural and educational institutions. She said the protesters moved accordingly.

The BID also asked that the protesters stop using the large, graphic images on their signs during their demonstration.

“The protesters were not willing to make that accommodation, so they kept the graphic imagery up,” Walters said.

Counter-protesters also arrived at Broadway to demonstrate for about an hour on Friday and for a more formal protest on Sunday morning, according to Walters.

Throughout last week, Walters said the BID advised businesses and people in the area to share their concerns with the BID or call the non-emergency police phone line.

“At the end of the day, we don’t want to get into any controversy, and we want to just remain peaceful and have a welcoming community,” Walters said.

“I think we really welcome public advocacy, but the businesses have made it be known that grotesque imagery is something that they can do without.”

Walters said she was surprised to hear positive feedback from people on both sides of the abortion debate in response to the BID’s communication around the protesters last week.

In the online petition, the abortion support group pointed to the graphic images being displayed in public spaces and high-traffic areas, as well as placed in the mailboxes of Saskatoon residents.

“These pamphlets were not placed in an envelope, they did not contain a content warning, nor did they contain any information to identify the organization responsible,” the Saskatoon organization alleged.

“These images are not only misleading, but they are harmful and distressing to anyone who has been forced to view them. Children, a particularly vulnerable group, were exposed, as were women who may have experienced a pregnancy loss of any type or gestation, (and) were unable to opt out of viewing this disturbing and offensive material.”

According to its post on Facebook, the group wants to see Saskatoon’s city council put a bylaw in place that would “protect Saskatoon residents from these graphic images.”

The group would like the bylaw to prohibit the display of graphic images in public places in the city and require that any such images being distributed be done in a sealed and opaque envelope with a warning as to its contents. It would also like a fine put in place for offenders that increases in cost for subsequent offences.

“I’ve heard from countless people whose children have gone to get the mail and were forced to view those images,” said Angie Kells, president of the SASN and a volunteer abortion doula.

She said the group works to provide people access to abortions according to their needs.

“It’s not okay that people are forced to view these images without being able to consent to them. The images that were on display are very graphic. They’re very disturbing,” Kells said. “In many cases, they’re simply false. They’re not real images.”

650 CKOM has inquired with the CCBR to find out where the group sources its images.

Kells said she hoped their petition might have 1,000 signatures by the end of last weekend, but it had grown to nearly 3,000 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

She said the number of signatures is representative of the importance of the issue to people in Saskatoon and the group intends to bring their concern and desire for a bylaw restricting public displays of graphic images to city council within the next week.

The City of Saskatoon, in an emailed statement, said it does not currently have a bylaw that regulates flyer delivery to public property.

“Regulating flyers based on content or viewpoint would be difficult and could unintentionally affect other types of material residents may wish to receive,” the city’s statement read.

The city offered steps that concerned residents can take, including contacting Canada Post if the flyer was delivered through the federal mail service, and contacting Saskatoon police with any concerns about threats, harassment, trespassing, property damage or immediate safety.

Hate propaganda incidents, the city noted, can be reported online.

It noted that mail delivery and receptacles are federally regulated, but Canada Post has limited ability to restrict material beyond what is prohibited by law.

“As to petitions, if the City of Saskatoon receives a request for City Council to develop regulations, it would first go to the appropriate Committee of Council, which would then provide direction to Administration if it so chose,” the city explained.