Occupy Canada
Encyclopedia
Occupy Canada are a collective of peaceful protest
Nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...

s and demonstration
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...

s that are part of the larger Occupy Together movement which first manifested in the financial district of New York City with Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...

, and subsequently spread to over 900 cities around the world.

The larger movement

The collective protests are primarily against social and economic inequality
Economic inequality
Economic inequality comprises all disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income. The term typically refers to inequality among individuals and groups within a society, but can also refer to inequality among countries. The issue of economic inequality is related to the ideas of...

, corporate greed, and the corrupting influence of corporate money and lobbyists
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...

 on government and democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...

.

Characterized by leaderless, horizontally-organized, participatory democratic action, and nonviolent
Nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...

 civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...

, the grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...

 democratic movement hopes to effect societal change to put the public good over corporate profits.

According to Armine Yalnizyan, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan, policy research institute in Canada that leans to the political left. It concentrates on economic policy, international trade, environmental justice and social policy. It is especially known for publishing an alternative...

:
The Occupy movement grew from an idea publicized on an email list and online blog July 13, 2011, by Vancouver-based non-profit Canadian group Adbusters
AdBusters
The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, anti-consumerist, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia...

, which had been inspired by the Arab Spring
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...

 protests, such as the one in Egypt's Tahrir Square
2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...

, that toppled many long-established governments in the Middle East. They promoted the protest with full page ad in Adbusters #97: Post Anarchism, featuring an iconic poster of a graceful ballerina balanced atop the charging Wall Street bull
Charging Bull
Charging Bull, which is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that stands in Bowling Green Park near Wall Street in Manhattan, New York City...

, with the hashtag #OCCUPYWALLSTREET; their call to action was the spark that started the larger Occupy movement. Two young New York bloggers provided the movement's defining slogan, "We are the 99%".
The movement calls on U.S. President Barack Obama to set up a presidential commission "tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington."

Canadian participation in the Global Day of Action

For the Occupy movement's first Global Day of Action
15 October 2011 global protests
The 15 October 2011 global protests were part of a series of protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the Spanish "Indignants", the Greek Protests and the Occupy movement. Global demonstrations were held on October 15 in more than 950 cities 82 countries. The date was chosen to coincide with the 5...

 on October 15, 2011, rallies took place in 951 cities in 82 different countries around the world.

Occupy Canada rallies for the Global Day of Action took place in at least 20 Canadian cities, including:

  • Toronto
    Toronto
    Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

    , Ontario
  • Montreal
    Montreal
    Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

    , Quebec
  • Vancouver
    Vancouver
    Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

    , British Columbia
  • Maple Ridge
    Maple Ridge, British Columbia
    Maple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located in the northeastern section of Metro Vancouver. Maple Ridge has a population of approximately 68,949.-History:...

    , British Columbia
  • Ottawa
    Ottawa
    Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

    , Ontario
  • Victoria
    Victoria, British Columbia
    Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...

    , British Columbia
  • Calgary
    Calgary
    Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

    , Alberta
  • Edmonton
    Edmonton
    Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

    , Alberta
  • Saskatoon
    Saskatoon
    Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....

    , Saskatchewan
  • Regina
    Regina, Saskatchewan
    Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...

    , Saskatchewan
  • Winnipeg
    Winnipeg
    Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

    , Manitoba
  • Saint John
    Saint John, New Brunswick
    City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...

    , New Brunswick
  • Moncton, New Brunswick
  • St. John's
    St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
    St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

    , Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Charlottetown
    Charlottetown
    Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...

    , Prince Edward Island
  • Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • Windsor
    Windsor, Ontario
    Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

    , Ontario
  • London
    London, Ontario
    London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

    , Ontario
  • Kingston
    Kingston, Ontario
    Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

    , Ontario
  • Sault Ste. Marie
    Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
    Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...

    , Ontario
  • Kelowna
    Kelowna
    Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...

    , British Columbia
  • Kamloops, British Columbia
  • Nanaimo, British Columbia
  • Nelson
    Nelson, British Columbia
    Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush,...

    , British Columbia
  • Hamilton
    Hamilton, Ontario
    Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

    , Ontario
  • Sudbury, Ontario


Occupy Toronto

In Toronto, around 3,000 people convened at the Financial District
Financial District, Toronto
The Financial District is a business district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, within the downtown core. It was originally planned as New Town in 1796 as an extension of the Town of York . It is the main financial district in Toronto, and is the financial heart of Canada...

, which is based in the intersection of Bay Street
Bay Street
Bay Street, originally known as Bear Street, is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Street in that role in the 1970s...

 and King Street. The peaceful protest continued on to St. James Park with approximately 1,500 people. Around 100 people set up camping tents there and websites associated with the protest indicated that they expected to remain there for a week.

Occupy Montreal

On October 15, 2011, the global Occupy movement arrived in Montreal on its first Global Day of Action
Global Day of Action
Global Day of Action is a direct action protest format. Environmentalism initiatives begun to use it in 2005 in connection with Global Climate Campaign. They aimed to focus world attention on the anthropogenic effect that humans are having on global warming...

. Over 1,000 Montrealers participated at Victoria Square
Victoria Square, Montreal
Victoria Square is a town square and public space in the Quartier International de Montréal area of downtown Montreal, Quebec, at the intersection of Beaver Hall Hill and McGill Street. The Square forms an integral component of the city's urban public transit system and constitutes a 'prestige...

, a public square directly between the Montreal World Trade Centre
World Trade Centre Montreal
The World Trade Centre Montreal is a building located in the Quartier international district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....

 and the Montreal Exchange
Montreal Exchange
The Montreal Exchange or MX is a derivatives exchange, located in Montreal, that trades futures contracts and options on equities, indices, currencies, ETFs, energy and interest rates. Since 1965, it has been located in the Tour de la Bourse , Montreal's third-tallest building...

, where financial derivatives
Derivative (finance)
A derivative instrument is a contract between two parties that specifies conditions—in particular, dates and the resulting values of the underlying variables—under which payments, or payoffs, are to be made between the parties.Under U.S...

 are traded.
The event began at 9:30, with hundreds of people arriving in the morning. By 11 a.m., the area was packed with people dancing, and tents occupied a significant portion of the green space. By late afternoon, the crowd had increased to over 1,000 people, who marched up Beaver Hall Hill and down Saint Catherine Street
Saint Catherine Street
This article is about the street in Montreal called the rue Sainte-Catherine in French. For other streets of this name, see Rue Sainte-Catherine ....

. 85 tents were set up at Victoria Square

Over the next five days, the occupation continued to expand and grow more complex each day. By October 20, 2011, the number of tents in Victoria Square had nearly doubled to 168, with no room to squeeze anymore in, and participants had two generators, six rented chemical toilets, canned and dried food, recycling and compost bins, and a savings fund to take the occupation through the cold winter.

On November 25, 2011, protesters were evicted from the Victoria Square by police. Some protesters tied themselves to the kitchen tent in the square and chanted at police, who eventually tore down the structure and moved protesters out. The full-scale eviction came one day after protesters were given a second notice that they had to vacate the square.

On November 29, 2011, Montreal police enforced Human Branding
Human branding
Human branding or stigmatizing is the process in which a mark, usually a symbol or ornamental pattern, is burned into the skin of a living person, with the intention that the resulting scar makes it permanent. This is performed using a hot or very cold branding iron...

 on protesters without their consent using ink that could only be seen under UV light. Protesters are considering a civil suit against police. The Occupy movement has now moved to the gazebo on Mount Royal.

Occupy Vancouver

In Vancouver, where the idea for the Occupy movement was first promoted, around 4,000 people participated in producing the highest turnout in Canada. The well-organized event in a square at the city's art gallery included a food tent set up for those planning to stay for the long haul. Tents were set up with the City of Vancouver insisting that they not be staked into the ground, and daily general assemblies were scheduled, with the permission and support of the Vancouver Art Gallery
Vancouver Art Gallery
The Vancouver Art Gallery is the fifth-largest art gallery in Canada and the largest in Western Canada. It is located at 750 Hornby Street in Vancouver, British Columbia...

. Early on, public officials did not intervene to shut down the Occupy Vancouver protests.

On November 3, 2011, a man at the protest nearly died of a drug overdose. During the response to this overdose, the Vancouver Fire Department issued orders to correct fire code violations such as propane cylinders inside of tents and insufficient spacing between the tents.

On November 5, 2011, a 23 year old woman was found dead in one of the tents due to a drug overdose. After these results the mayor suggested that the city may be forced to take down the tents, if a peaceful solution cannot be reached. The mayor has said that the people may remain.

On November 7, 2011, city notices asking protesters to pack up their tents immediately were posted at the site. Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services crew were blocked from putting out an open fire that some described as a sacred First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 fire. Protesters formed a circle around the fire and police officers moved in to pull them apart.

On November 15, 2011, Police, firefighters and city workers moved in and started removing several tents and tarps which were fire hazards. The City of Vancouver applied for an injunction order to remove the entire camp, but the judge adjourned the hearing to allow protesters to prepare their legal response.

On November 18, 2011, Justice Anne MacKenzie
Anne MacKenzie (judge)
Anne MacKenzie is the Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, appointed on April 26, 2010.MacKenzie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1973 followed by a Bachelor of Laws in 1977 from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.In 1990, she was appointed to the...

 granted the city's request to clear out the Occupy tent city by Monday afternoon, including an order for enforcement by police. Protesters will have until 2 p.m. on November 21, 2011, to remove their tents and other structures.

On November 21, 2011, protestors cleared out the Art Gallery zone and occupied a new slice of land at Robson Square, just outside provincial court facilities. Justice Anne MacKenzie ordered an end to Occupy Vancouver's new tent city by 5 p.m. November 22, 2011. Just before 5pm the tents were packed up and occupiers moved onto the SkyTrain, and over to the Commercial Drive neighbourhood where they moved into Grandview Park. A CBC journalist reported that as they moved, and marched down Commercial Drive, the movement was down to several dozen people. As they met at a general assembly on arriving at the park, participators decided to shelve the tent city model of protest temporarily but claimed they'll resume regular meetings at the downtown public square, their first site.

As of Saturday November 26th, General Assemblies continue to be held nightly and the Vancouver Art Gallery grounds continue to be occupied by protesters 24 hours a day.

Occupy Ottawa

The movement's presence in Ottawa began on Saturday October 15, 2011 with around 500 people participating at Confederation Park
Confederation Park
Confederation Park is a park in downtown Ottawa and a National Historic Site of Canada. It is bordered on the south by Laurier Avenue and Ottawa City Hall; on the east by the Rideau Canal; on the north by the Mackenzie King Bridge, the Rideau Centre and the National Arts Centre; and, to the west,...

. A march on Sussex Drive
Sussex Drive
Sussex Drive is a major street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and one of the city's major ceremonial and institutional routes....

 was held the second day, passing by the U.S. embassy. Around 75 people camped in tents, with the group planning to occupy the downtown park indefinitely. Many participants, prepared for the long haul, described Occupy Ottawa as a movement of presence, rather than just a protest.

On November 23, 2011, police evicted protesters from the park, ending the chapter of the protests in the city.

Occupy Edmonton

On October 15, 2011, over 1,000 people participated in an Occupy march in Edmonton, with over two dozen people spending the first night in a park in the downtown core. A tent city, complete with food, art, and medic tents, was set up with consent of the owner of the property.

Occupy Kingston

On October 15, 2011, over 150 people occupied Confederation Basin, across from City Hall on Ontario St. A large yurt-like structure, built using the bandstand metal frame and tarps, contains 8-9 tents, and is divided into living and working areas. The City of Kingston has no plans for evicting the protesters.

Occupy Victoria

On October 15, 2011, over 1,000 people marched through downtown Victoria, and a large 800-person rally took place at Centennial Square on the B.C. Legislature grounds.

The Occupy Victoria demonstrations included an event downtown organized by the recently founded People’s Assembly of Victoria and a similar demonstration organized by We Are Change Victoria that involved around 300 people on the B.C. legislature grounds.

A tent city of at least 17 tents and 30 occupants was set up at Centennial Square, with plans to remain until the social and economic problems that prompted the Occupy movement are addressed.

Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin
Dean Fortin
Dean Fortin is the current mayor of Victoria, British Columbia.Fortin has a B.A., LLB and M Ed . He was director of the Burnside Gorge Community Centre for 17 years before being elected mayor. Previously, he helped established and operated the Victoria Association for Street Kids for seven years...

 initial praised the Occupy Victoria movement and its international counterparts as "citizen participation
Participatory democracy
Participatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...

 and one of the emerging issues of our times
," saying that "people have an urgent need to be involved in the events and process that shape their lives." Fortin later retracted his support for the protestors stating "I think we’re coming to a place where more and more, much like Vancouver, we’re getting concerned about the safety issues".

On November 5, 2011, demonstrators held a flash occupation at the intersection of Fort Street and Douglas Street, the centre of Victoria's financial district, to commemorate Bank Transfer Day
Bank Transfer Day
Bank Transfer Day is a consumer activism initiative calling for a voluntary switch from commercial banks to not-for-profit credit unions by November 5, 2011. As of October 15, 2011, a Facebook page devoted to the effort had drawn more than 54,900 "likes"...

. Two RBC and TD Canada Trust
TD Canada Trust
TD Canada Trust is the personal, small business and commercial banking operation of the Toronto-Dominion Bank in Canada. TD Canada Trust offers a range of financial services and products to more than 10 million Canadian customers through more than 1,100 branches and 2,600 ATM Green Machines...

 branches at this intersection temporarily shut down and locked their doors "due to protesting". Protestors cited legal, ethical and environmental violations committed by RBC and TD Canada Trust as the reasons for their occupation.

On November 6, 2011, Kate Friars, Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture, issued a letter to all occupants to vacant Centennial Square by noon on Monday, November 7, 2011.

On November 7, 2011, approximately 80 people chanted, cheered, linked arms and surrounded the main tent just before noon as they faced a deadline by the city to move their temporary structures. A few police officers stood and watched but no tickets were issued. Fortin stated the city would not make a move until his staff obtains a B.C. Supreme Court order. Fortin said he and his staff will wait and see whether the Victoria protestors will remove their tents voluntarily by the end of the week before filing for the court injunction.

On November 9, 2011, protesters were given until 4 pm, Thursday, November 10, 2011, to file a response with B.C. Supreme Court to respond to the city's eviction notice. B.C. Premier Christy Clark
Christy Clark
Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...

 said "I think almost anyone would say it's time for them to go and they should go peacefully and they should go as soon as possible"

On November 16, 2011, protesters and city crews began packing up tents voluntarily as they expect the city will be granted a court injunction to remove the camp on the morning of November 17.

On November 18, 2011, Justice Terence A. Schultes ruled that the square must be vacated by 7 a.m. on Saturday, November 19, 2011. However, the judge refused to provide an immediate enforcement order, saying the demonstrators had shown "a praiseworthy degree of responsiveness to the concerns of the city".

On November 22, 2011, Victoria Police cleared out the Occupy encampment at Centennial Square of all protesters and tents and arrested one woman who refused to leave.

Occupy Nova Scotia

An Occupy Nova Scotia camp began in Halifax on October 15 at the Grand Parade
Grand Parade (Halifax)
The Grand Parade is an historic military parade square dating from the founding of Halifax in 1749. At the north end of the Grand Parade is the Halifax City Hall, the seat of municipal government in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. At the south end is St. Paul's Church...

 between Halifax City Hall
Halifax City Hall
Halifax City Hall is the seat of municipal government in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.Since municipal amalgamation took place on 1 April 1996, Halifax City Hall has hosted the regular meetings of the Halifax Regional Council, as well as various municipal offices.-History:The building...

 and St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's Church (Halifax)
St. Paul's Church is an evangelical Anglican church in downtown Halifax Nova Scotia within the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is located at the south end of the Grand Parade, an open square in downtown Halifax with Halifax City Hall at the...

 beside the Halifax Cenotaph in Downtown Halifax
Downtown Halifax
Downtown Halifax is the city centre of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern-central portion of the Halifax Peninsula, on Halifax Harbour, it serves as the business, entertainment, and tourism hub of the region.- Municipal:...

. A demonstration of about 300 people began the site with about 25 tents including a medical tent, art supplies, a food and entertainment tent hosting discussion groups, art creation as well as a daily General Assembly. The first major activity were performance contributions to Halifax's Nocturne nighttime arts festival
Nuit Blanche
Nuit Blanche is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival. A Nuit Blanche will typically have museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of the city itself being turned into a de facto art gallery, providing space for...

. The gathering grew to 30 tents by October 20, despite a heavy rain storm on October 19 that destroyed several tents and caused local flooding. On October 25, Mayor of Halifax Peter Kelly asked the Occupiers to move from the Grand Parade to the Halifax Common
Halifax Common
The Halifax Common, in local popular usage more often referred to as the Commons, is a Canadian urban park in the community of Halifax in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality...

 so the area can be prepared for the Dignity Day
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...

 and Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...

 ceremonies usually held in the square. Occupy protestors said they would seek a compromise. On October 30, Occupy Nova Scotia participants agreed to clear the Grand Parade on November 6 and move to Victoria Park until November 12, when they would return to the Grand Parade. During the day of November 11, police entered Victoria Park, served an eviction notice according to a local bylaw, removed the tents, and arrested 14 people. On November 12, three more arrests were made when hundreds of protestors filled the Grand Parade, calling for the city's mayor to resign. Several police cruisers had been stationed outside the parks to prevent people from pitching tents.

Occupy Regina

Occupy Regina began as a protest camp
Protest camp
Protest camps are physical camps that are set up by activists, to either provide a base for protest, or to delay, obstruct or prevent the focus of their protest by physically blocking it with the camp...

 set up in downtown Regina and existed for 33 days (October 15 - November 16) until the residents were evicted and the camp dismantled by Regina Police Service
Regina Police Service
Regina Police Service, formed in 1892, is the municipal police force for the City of Regina, Saskatchewan.During the late 1890s, Regina was capital of the Northwest Territories, though not more than a collection of frame buildings and tents...

.

On October 15, 2011 protestors rallied and set up camp in Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Regina
Victoria Park is a public park in the centre of downtown Regina. The city's founders set aside a plot of land right in the centre of town and named it Victoria Square. It was supposed to serve as a green space, part of an effort to make Regina a more attractive destination for settlers...

. In the following weeks, approximately 30 tents and 60 occupants kept a nighttime vigil
Vigil
A vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance...

. On October 19, power was shut off to the park.

On 28 October, the punk musician Joe Keithley
Joe Keithley
Joey "Shithead" Keithley is a punk musician with the band D.O.A.. He was raised in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and attended Burnaby North Secondary. At age 11, he began playing drums. He would later take up the guitar and vocals. He owns and operates his own record company, Sudden Death...

 visited protesters at the Victoria Park camp and played an impromptu set for them. On 5 November The Council of Canadians
The Council of Canadians
The Council of Canadians is a progressive citizens' organization that advocates on behalf of its members across the country. Founded in 1985 to oppose the Canada-U.S...

 donated a portable toilet
Portable toilet
Portable toilet are simple portable enclosures containing a chemical toilet which are typically used as a temporary toilet for construction sites and large gatherings and events. Most of the portable toilets have black open-front-U-shaped toilet seat with cover...

 to the camp, which had previously been using a makeshift toilet inside a tent. However, it was removed by the city on November 7th.

Due to these two events, and the verbal warnings being received by the City of Regina to leave, a rally was held at city hall on November 9th. About 60 people gathered at noon hour and a short time later went inside, and requested to meet with the mayor. The request was denied, so they occupied the front lobby of city hall until the building closed, and left peacefully.

On the morning of November 10th, each tent was served a formal eviction notice by the city of Regina. They were ordered to vacate the premises and remove their tents by 8:00am, November 12, 2011. On Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...

, November 11, the Occupy Regina protestors presented a wreath to the veterans to lay on the Victoria Park cenotaph. They also took down all of their signs as a show of respect and refused any media interviews. Some protestors remained in the park, and police issued nine summons
Summons
Legally, a summons is a legal document issued by a court or by an administrative agency of government for various purposes.-Judicial summons:...

es on November 14 and 15. On November 14, one man was arrested for public intoxication
Public intoxication
Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly", is a summary offense in many countries rated to public cases or displays of drunkenness...

 and breaching a previous court order.

On the morning of November 16, police removed all the tents and contents, including an Apple iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...

, which police said protestors could claim at a later date. The police did not encounter any resistance as the camp was already abandoned. Those served tickets and are expected to appear in court on December 14, and could face a maximum fine of $2000.

On 20 November, Occupy Regina protestors met in Victoria Park
Victoria Park
- In Australia :New South Wales* Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in New South Wales* Victoria Park, Sydney, a park in the capital city of New South Wales* Victoria Park Racecourse, Sydney, a closed racecourseSouth Australia...

, marched into the Cornwall Centre
Cornwall Centre
* The Cornwall Centre is a shopping mall in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.* The Cornish Studies Centre , usually known as The Cornwall Centre is a large library of Cornish printed and published archival material in Redruth, Cornwall, UK....

 mall and did a flash mob
Flash mob
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...

 with playing cards. They used the human microphone
Human microphone
A human microphone, also known as the people's microphone, is a means for delivering a speech to a large group of people, wherein persons gathered around the speaker repeat what the speaker says, thus "amplifying" the voice of the speaker without the need for electrical or pneumatic amplification...

 method to read out a short statement.

Occupy Windsor

Occupy Windsor was an Occupy movement
Occupy movement
The Occupy movement is an international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The first Occupy protest to be widely covered was Occupy Wall Street in New York City, taking place on September 17, 2011...

 encampment in Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. There were 25 residents as of November 11, 2011. The residents included a panhandler, who served as a security person, and a former city council member. Meetings were held twice a day. Occupy hand signals were used so that no one’s voice was drowned out. Drinking, drugs and profanity in front of children were not permitted.

Occupy participation in other Canadian cities

Estimates of the number of Occupy movement participants in other Canadian cities on the Global Day of Action
Global Day of Action
Global Day of Action is a direct action protest format. Environmentalism initiatives begun to use it in 2005 in connection with Global Climate Campaign. They aimed to focus world attention on the anthropogenic effect that humans are having on global warming...

 included:
  • Calgary
    Calgary
    Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

    : over 400 people at Bankers Hall
    Bankers Hall
    Bankers Hall is a building complex located in downtown Calgary, Alberta, which includes twin 52-storey office towers , designed by the architectural firm Cohos Evamy in postmodern architectural style....

     downtown, and a camp was set up at St. Patrick's Island, west of the zoo.
  • Winnipeg
    Winnipeg
    Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

    : over 400 people downtown, and dozens of people camped in Memorial Park.
  • Saskatoon
    Saskatoon
    Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....

    : 200 people took part in a rally at Friendship Park, and dozens camped. The protest later relocated to Gabriel Dumont Park until the city evicted the protestors on November 14, 2011.
  • Charlottetown
    Charlottetown
    Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...

    : 125 people outside Province House
    Province House (Prince Edward Island)
    Province House is where the Prince Edward Island Legislature, known as the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, has met since 1847. The building is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown; it is Canada's second-oldest seat of government.- History...

    , the P.E.I. legislature.
  • London
    London, Ontario
    London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

    : 100 people demonstrated in Victoria Park and some have set up camp in Victoria Park and outside nearby St. Paul's Cathedral Church. London Ontario's mayor Joe Fontana
    Joe Fontana
    Joseph Frank "Joe" Fontana, PC is the current mayor of London, Ontario. He was previously a Liberal member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of London North Centre....

     became the first mayor to move on the occupiers in Canada. In early morning November 9, 2011, municipal police entered Victoria Park in large number and dismantled tents. No arrests were made in the initial event. Victoria Park continues to be monitored by the police as occupiers gather at the park while their tents have been confiscated.
  • St. John's
    St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
    St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...

    : Some 50 people protested in wet weather near the waterfront.
  • Moncton
    Moncton, New Brunswick
    Moncton is a Canadian city, located in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The city is situated in southeastern New Brunswick, within the Petitcodiac River Valley, and lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces...

    : over 300 people showed up at city hall on the Saturday October 15th global rally. Still there are about 30 occupiers living in tents at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre
    Aberdeen Cultural Centre
    The Aberdeen Cultural Centre is an Acadian cultural cooperative containing multiple studios and galleries and is located on Botsford Street in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Centre houses the Galerie Sans Nom, which presents art exhibitions that showcase current trends in visual arts, concentrating on...

    . Every saturday a general assembly takes place at city hall where different groups join to help advance the cause and to show solidarity to Occupy Wall-Street.

Calls for specific Canadian measures

Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch
Democracy Watch (Canada)
Democracy Watch, established in 1993, is a Canadian organization that advocates on democratic reform, government accountability and corporate responsibility issues...

, a non-profit citizen advocacy organization based in Ottawa, suggested the Occupy Canada movement should push for 15 key measures endorsed by 140 Canadian citizen groups over the past decade, including:
  • The creation of civilian watchdog agencies to oversee corporate activity in each economic sector
  • Increased financial and legal penalties for corporate illegality
  • Expanded protection for whistleblower
    Whistleblower
    A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...

     employees
  • A requirement that corporation
    Corporation
    A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...

    s must legally represent not only the interests of shareholders, but also those of their employees, customers, society, and the environment

See also

Occupy articles
Canadian protests:
  • Occupy Regina
  • Occupy Toronto
    Occupy Toronto
    Occupy Toronto is a protest and demonstration that began on October 15, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, near Bay Street in Downtown Toronto's Financial District and moved to St...


Other Protests
  • 15 October 2011 global protests
    15 October 2011 global protests
    The 15 October 2011 global protests were part of a series of protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the Spanish "Indignants", the Greek Protests and the Occupy movement. Global demonstrations were held on October 15 in more than 950 cities 82 countries. The date was chosen to coincide with the 5...

  • 2011 United States public employee protests
    2011 United States public employee protests
    In February 2011, a series of public employee protests began in the United States against proposed legislation which would weaken the power of labor unions. By March, eighteen states had proposed legislation which would remove some collective bargaining powers from unions, along with another five...

  • 2011 Wisconsin protests
    2011 Wisconsin protests
    The 2011 Wisconsin protests were a series of demonstrations in the state of Wisconsin in the United States beginning in February involving at its zenith as many as 100,000 protestors opposing the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill. Subsequently, anti-tax activists and other conservatives, including tea...


Related articles
  • Arab Spring
    Arab Spring
    The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...

  • Corporatocracy
    Corporatocracy
    Corporatocracy, in social theories that focus on conflicts and opposing interests within society, denotes a system of government that serves the interest of, and may be run by, corporations and involves ties between government and business...

  • Corruption Perceptions Index
  • Economic inequality
    Economic inequality
    Economic inequality comprises all disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income. The term typically refers to inequality among individuals and groups within a society, but can also refer to inequality among countries. The issue of economic inequality is related to the ideas of...

  • Federal political financing in Canada
    Federal political financing in Canada
    The fair and transparent financing of political parties, candidates, and election campaigns is a key determinant in the health and proper functioning of a democracy...

  • Voter turnout in Canada
    Voter turnout in Canada
    Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. The following presents voter turnout figures for Canada's general elections as compiled by Elections Canada....



External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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