infrastructure minister prasad panda said he hoped the situation would come to a peaceful end.
“my understanding is the sheriff’s have been discussing with them and i’m sorry it came to this stage because they have been warned, they have been issued fines. that is the process, usually, sheriff’s undertake and my staff has been working with them closely,” said panda during a monday afternoon media availability. ” … i hope through negotiation and dialogue they can come to a conclusion.”
dozens of people had been protesting at the site over a span of more than a week. one protester told postmedia last week that the purpose of the protest was to oppose vaccination mandates and to bring attention to injustices faced by indigenous communities.
while it is lawful to protest on the legislature grounds, the crown property regulation prohibits “residing, camping or sleeping” on the grounds overnight. a court injunction granted friday permits officers to enforce that rule. panda said the injunction was needed because they had exhausted all other options.
on sunday, panda said the government was concerned about safety issues.
“things can go out of control — we know what happened on capitol hill. i defend the right to protest. i facilitate that on our grounds. they can be my guest during the day as long as they follow the rules, but if they violate that i’m obligated to albertans and alberta taxpayers to keep the public infrastructure safe, and also usable for all visitors,” said panda.