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Occupy Calgary: Mayor Naheed Nenshi Says Demonstrators' Rights Must Be Respected

Nenshi

First Posted: 11/04/11 10:30 PM ET Updated: 11/07/11 04:53 PM ET

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CALGARY - Calgary's mayor says that the city's Occupy demonstrators have been peaceful and the city has no right under the charter of rights and freedoms to force them out of a downtown plaza.

Naheed Nenshi says that regardless of what other cities have experienced, the protest has not created a hardship for Calgarians.

He says any suggestion the issue is a crisis is ridiculous, adding it doesn't rank in the top 10 concerns for Calgarians.

About a dozen people are living in tents in the city's Olympics Plaza.

Temperatures have dropped below zero and snow fell Thursday night, but it hasn't deterred the protesters, who have not delivered any particular demands to city officials.

Nenshi says the charter of rights and freedoms trumps any civic bylaws so the only thing police can do is write ticket and not arrest the protestors.

Nenshi hopes the situation will be settled through negotiation, but he says that could be difficult as the group has no real leader.

(CHQR)

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Protesters walk towards the crowd at Occupy Calgary on October 15.
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CALGARY - Calgary's mayor says that the city's Occupy demonstrators have been peaceful and the city has no right under the charter of rights and freedoms to force them out of a downtown plaza.Naheed N...
CALGARY - Calgary's mayor says that the city's Occupy demonstrators have been peaceful and the city has no right under the charter of rights and freedoms to force them out of a downtown plaza.Naheed N...
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Cameron Fenton: Separating Oil and State

In Canada, corporate greed in our nation can be directly connected to the destruction of the natural world, perhaps most visually apparent in the tar sands. If the Occupy movement is going to break corporate control, we need to start where it is most apparent in our government. We need to "separate oil and state."

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Ian Berg
28 Fans
 
11:44 PM on 11/10/2011
Daytime demonstrations in a public place are fine however it's against Calgary bylaws to tent all night and loiter all day in a public square. Normally our mayor is eager to ensure bylaws are enforced, especially the ones that generate revenue for the city. But in this case the mayor is afraid to enforce these bylaws because there would be a backlash from his liberal supporters and the local CBC outlet.
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Dheffernan
27 Fans
07:01 PM on 11/07/2011
I think Nenshi is a great mayor, but I dont think he is being visionary or deserves praise in this situation. I think he is just hoping the cold weather drives the occupiers out before he really has to confront the issue. If you have heard him chat about this issue, he is in no way in support of movement. Besides, Calgary doesn't have the same numbers as many of the other protests, so they aren't really dealing with the same sort of issues, especially since most of the former homeless protesters took the shelters offer to get them off the street and get them assistance.
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Kristopher Leang
training to take down the elite
109 Fans
12:50 AM on 11/08/2011
are you smoking crack? unlike every other politician who would of added a "but if the protesters" and then used any lis of excuses to have them evicting, appearing moderate but ready to deal with the protest if it is costing political points.

Nenshi shows none of this duality so common with two faced politicians. he has shown he has a clear understanding of the policies role and scope, the protesters rights and where it comes from, and that this is indeed the supreme law of Canada (the charter is in our constitution so it overrules all others)
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Ian Berg
28 Fans
 
11:47 PM on 11/10/2011
The city fined Cory Morgan for parking his truck at Olympic Plaza, a few metres from the Olympic Park campers who have brazenly defied bylaws that ban loitering and overnight camping for weeks. This liberal mayor is perfectly happy applying the law against people who disagree with him and point out his hypocrisy.
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cowtownab
29 Fans
05:52 AM on 11/07/2011
Calgary has EVERY right to evict these people from Olympic Plaza, just as thay have the right to a mayor with backbone come election day. Nenshi's gotta go.
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pinkibus
1812 Fans
12:18 AM on 11/13/2011
cowtown any time you want totake Ford from Toronto and give Toronto Nenshi its a deal. Ford comes with a warning however. He is a liar and very easily frightened him. A woman in acape with a plastic sword and a microphone terrified him. He called 911 several times. His language wasn't nice.
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cameron d
Good Guys Win
1039 Fans
 
09:43 PM on 11/06/2011
Calgary, I'll offer you a straight up trade. Rob Ford for Naheed Nenshi. You know what, I'll throw in Doug Ford, Doug Holyday and Giorgio Mammoliti too.
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Kristopher Leang
training to take down the elite
109 Fans
12:52 AM on 11/08/2011
throw in harper, Flaherty and joke back Clement while your at it. imagine having a PM that actively supported, reaffirmed and god forbid used their legislative power to expand our rights.
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KheSahn068
Hmmmmmmmmmm!
139 Fans
05:56 PM on 11/06/2011
If people really believe that all these Occupy (whatever name) people are all peaceful, then think again. Maybe the original protestors who wanted to do something good started off this way, but when you look at the full picture, you have to know that pother elements have infiltrated their ranks. Don't sit there and tell the world that gang bangers and the likes did not start the trouble in Oakland and other gang banger related cities. If there are over 100,000 gang banger in Los Amgeles alone, how many do you think there are in other cities? I feel for the cops. They have no idea who they are facing so they have to treat all people the same. This mayor in Calgary (his smile says it all) is only looking at the next election. I am for OWS, but not at the expense of rogue gang bangers using this movement as a cover to do what they do best.....destroy thatever they can!
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cameron d
Good Guys Win
1039 Fans
 
09:44 PM on 11/06/2011
You know what kind of person still uses the term "gang banger?" The incredibly out of touch.
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KheSahn068
Hmmmmmmmmmm!
139 Fans
11:29 PM on 11/06/2011
Oh. Gee. I'm sorry. I'm not being "politically correct." I meant to say (instead of gang banger, which they really are) those persons who are socially unsound and have been prejudiced against by the currently placed elected officials.
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rocksage7
sustainability rocks
1591 Fans
 
09:35 AM on 11/06/2011
maybe we can learn how to be free from canada
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rocksage7
sustainability rocks
1591 Fans
 
09:30 AM on 11/06/2011
Canada is a great free country...hope the USA learns hoe to be free...
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brianmouland
25 Fans
 
03:38 AM on 11/06/2011
Mayor Wimp
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mudshark12
Now who are you jiving with that cosmik debris?
1015 Fans
01:55 AM on 11/06/2011
Naheed Nenshi is too cool! Calgary has got a great mayor there and needs to keep him in office until he can find and even better and more important job.
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GGN1
0 Fans
05:25 PM on 11/07/2011
You can have him. Got an address we can send his purple highness to?
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mudshark12
Now who are you jiving with that cosmik debris?
1015 Fans
05:46 PM on 11/07/2011
I couldn't help but notice you have zero fans. I seldom respond to zero's as it's generally a waste of my time.
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LeftyNeoCon
What happens when extreme left and right combine.
36 Fans
12:46 AM on 11/06/2011
If Canada moves to oust any of these protesters it will be a bad bad day.
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ravenwriting
0 Fans
01:46 PM on 11/11/2011
Literally, RIGHT now! I'm pretty angry about this, because I was under the assumption that we have a right to peaceful protest
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ravenwriting
0 Fans
01:47 PM on 11/11/2011
they're doing it right now in halifax, NS... evicting protesters, in the middle of the day
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buylow2
12 Fans
09:22 PM on 11/05/2011
Occupy a JOB! end
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LeftyNeoCon
What happens when extreme left and right combine.
36 Fans
12:45 AM on 11/06/2011
I was working two part time jobs, the twenty hours a week at both I was working has slowly dwindled and ended up at barely ten altogether. This is a pervasive issue across all entry level positions and none of the Occupiers really represent the type of people that can drop money and years to go to school.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mudshark12
Now who are you jiving with that cosmik debris?
1015 Fans
01:56 AM on 11/06/2011
Got one, so snark off!
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Johnny LaRue
political correctness is just incorrect
56 Fans
07:48 PM on 11/05/2011
Veteran's Affairs is a Liberal patronage department where 66% of the budget goes to administration rather then the deserving veterans.
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Canada1955
13 Fans
08:59 PM on 11/06/2011
off topic
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charley0008
89 Fans
05:42 PM on 11/05/2011
He is right. We need to honour them for their courage to stand up. Canadians need to get off their backsides and take the time to learn about the growing inequality in this country and the Harper governments tax benefits to corporations while he guts Veteran Affairs and treats our disabled soldiers with contempt. Canadians need to get over their smug comfort and look at what kind of Canada we are leaving these young people. My greatest fear is that the 'greying masses' of older Canadians (and I am one of them) through indifference and ignorance of what is happening in Canada today is betraying our young leaving them with a Canada made over in the image of Harper and others. Support the young, and those with the courage to stand up, bear the cold and give voice to a national problem.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Candide33
I heart Bernie Sanders
4522 Fans
 
05:18 PM on 11/05/2011
"Nenshi says the charter of rights and freedoms trumps any civic bylaws so the only thing police can do is write ticket and not arrest the protestors."

Too bad the right wing in this country think all their piddling little civic bylaws trump the constitution every time.

Listen up America... nothing trumps the constitution!!!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
All Seeing Guy
Center of the storm
440 Fans
04:54 PM on 11/05/2011
"Calgary's mayor says that the city's Occupy demonstrators have been peaceful and the city has no right under the charter of rights and freedoms to force them out of a downtown plaza."

Uh-oh, the Wilted Rosers aren't gonna like this.
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Henk Bos
7 Fans
07:59 PM on 11/05/2011
It should be interesting if a Right to Life protest was to stage a sit in some other Calgary park?
I would wager that Mayor Naheed Nanshi would be calling the shock troops to clear the area.
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All Seeing Guy
Center of the storm
440 Fans
08:03 PM on 11/05/2011
I hope he would, public parks are no place for extremist religious psychos.
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