EDITORIAL: A decision for council?

Brian Hamilton did not want to start a debate on abortion.

But he does want to start one on public decency.

As the head of the Bay and Algoma Merchants Association, last Saturday Hamilton found himself staring at some pretty graphic post-abortion pictures.

A travelling caravan chose the middle of the business district’s annual sidewalk sale to seek attention to their pro-life cause.
Hamilton politely asked them to leave, then when it became apparent they wouldn’t – and police had their hands tied – he took matters into his own hands, admittedly dousing protestors with chocolate milk.

He earned four assault charges as a result.

He’s hoping to convince city council to wade into the fray to create a decency bylaw that would make the display of aborted fetus pictures and other graphic material illegal in Thunder Bay.

His concern is that children and customers were forced to look at images that wouldn’t be printed in the newspaper or displayed on TV.

He’ll likely run into a roadblock if and when he hits council. We spoke with several councillors this week, and the majority seem to think it’s not city council’s role to police what can and can’t be shown publicly.

Their hands may be tied by provincial and federal legislation.