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PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0698/01 2521709
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091709Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9824
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000698 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL/AWH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KOLY CA
SUBJECT: SLOWER, LOWER, WEAKER: NGOS PROTEST FREE SPEECH 
LIMITS DURING OLYMPICS 
 
REF: OTTAWA 696 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The British Columbia Civil Liberties 
Association (BCCLA) is protesting new Vancouver city bylaws 
that allow "draconian curtailment of free expression" during 
the 2010 Winter Olympics.  BCCLA argues the new laws are 
"ripe for constitutional challenge."  Local media has given 
wide coverage to the new bylaws, and activists have joined 
the BCCLA in condemning the restrictions the city will 
enforce during the Games, including bans on leaflet 
distribution and posters in Olympic venues and the creation 
of "protest zones."  The BCCLA has increased its legal staff 
and legal actions in recent months, possibly in preparation 
for high profile challenges to the bylaws.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In an August 31 meeting, BCCLA Executive Director 
David Eby and Policy Director Michael Vonn told poloff that 
it was "unconscionable" that the Vancouver City Council had 
"rushed through" new bylaws "dramatically" restricting free 
speech during the February 2010 Winter Olympic Games in 
Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia.  BCCLA's greatest 
concern is the expansion of the definition of Olympic venues 
to include major access routes and lines of sight, and -- for 
the first time -- the torch relay route.  The new laws ban 
non-sponsor advertising including sandwich boards, handbills, 
printed matter, brochures, and leaflets in Olympic sites and 
require that any other signs be "celebratory" in nature. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Both IOC and city officials caution that the 
regulations are temporary and required to protect sponsors of 
the Games.  While the IOC-Vancouver contract does not include 
specific mention of "protest zones," the IOC Olympic Charter 
prohibits any "demonstration or political, religious, or 
racial propaganda in any Olympic sites, venues, or other 
areas."  The Vancouver Integrated Security Unit (VISU) 
responsible for security during the Games has not released 
information on the number or location of protest zones but 
has promised publicly that they will be in "high profile" 
areas.  Eby questioned the legality of the VISU to create 
"securitized zones" noting that the provincial legislature 
has not granted the police specific authorization to create 
protest areas or restrict access to public areas.  He added 
that such powers do not reside in the domain of the common 
law.  No Canadian federal or provincial legislature has ever 
conferred such "public order" powers on the police force, 
according to Eby. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In addition to free speech issues, the BCCLA is 
monitoring possible violations of the right to privacy from 
the use of at least 900 surveillance cameras in public areas 
during the Games.  Vonn predicted city officials were "lying" 
when they said the cameras would be removed after the Games. 
She noted the city has leased the cameras and has the right 
to buy them afterward for a nominal amount.  She argued that 
the city has invested in the construction of a central 
monitoring office for closed circuit televisions and is 
unlikely to abandon that investment after the Games.  Vonn 
estimated that at least 2,000 cameras would be in use during 
the Games.  The BCCLA is also protesting that the city 
government is bound by contract to "discrimination against 
women" in the Olympics with the lack of a women's ski jumping 
event but has no plans to intervene at this time. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Siding with the BCCLA, community Olympics watchdog 
group the Impact on Community Coalition (IOCC) has filed a 
complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Council 
alleging that the Games threaten free speech and could spur 
Qalleging that the Games threaten free speech and could spur 
mass evictions.  The group has asked the UN to send a human 
rights observer to Vancouver, but group organizers 
acknowledge the UN will only hear their complaint next 
spring, well after the conclusion of the Games.  The IOCC has 
said that it is concerned that landlords will evict tenants 
to offer their properties to visitors.  They also charge that 
Vancouver police have increased the number of tickets for 
minor infractions, such as jaywalking, as a precursor to 
jailing those who do not pay their fines. 
 
¶6. (SBU) In a separate meeting, Jessica Connell, Legal 
Counsel for the BC Human Rights Tribunal told poloff that the 
Tribunal had not received any human rights complaints related 
to the Olympics or the new bylaws.  Additionally, Connell 
added that the Tribunal is not anticipating a major increase 
in complaints following the Olympics although they are 
prepared if necessary. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The BCCLA has publicly stated that the Vancouver 
bylaws violate the Canadian Charter of Human Rights, but 
neither Eby nor Vonn divulged any current plans to challenge 
the laws in court.  The BCCLA is a non-profit, membership and 
 
OTTAWA 00000698  002 OF 002 
 
 
grant-supported private organization that relies on pro bono 
legal services.  Its lawsuits are not currently focused on 
the Olympics, however, the BCCLA has significantly expanded 
its litigation programs in 2008 and 2009 and increased its 
legal staff. 
 
Visit Canada,s North American partnership community at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
 
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