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In progress City project

Regulating protests near places of worship

The City of Mississauga is doing research to help decide the best course of action to address protests that prevent the public from accessing places of worship.
Milestones
  1. 1
    February 2025

    Project kickoff and research

  2. 2
    March 17 to April 15, 2025

    Public engagement to understand community sentiment and perceptions

  3. 3
    April to May 2025

    Review and share community feedback and make recommendation to Council

Overview

Some residents have expressed concerns over protests taking place outside of places of worship. One incident occurred in Mississauga in the fall of 2024. Other protests have happened in Brampton and Vaughan. In a few cases, protests that started out peaceful turned violent with worshippers being harassed, threatened and even physically assaulted.

Everyone has the right to peaceful protest. The City will not interfere with protests as long as gatherings remain peaceful and comply with all laws and by-laws. The public also has the right to safely access community spaces without fear of violence or intimidation.

Many places of worship also provide food and support to our most vulnerable citizens. Protests should not prevent people from accessing services they need.

The Canadian cities of Calgary, Vaughan and Brampton have already developed a by-law to create “buffer zones” around sensitive locations, like places of worship, schools or hospitals.

Project objectives

As part of the research process, the City will consult with:

  • Experts
  • Other municipalities
  • The public
  • Affected community groups

We’ll look at our existing nuisance gathering by-law and decide if it addresses the concerns that have been raised. We’ll also explore the possibility of creating a new by-law to regulate protests near places of worship in Mississauga.

All research, feedback and ideas gathered during this process will be used to inform a recommendation that will be presented to City Council.

Public engagement

From March 17 to April 15, we conducted a comprehensive engagement process as part of our research to get different perspectives, considerations and understand what the impact on the community may be.

Through online surveys, we asked the public to:

  • Share their experiences
  • Help define what a place of worship is
  • Give ideas to help inform our recommendation

We appreciate everyone who participated in our surveys and shared their thoughts and provided input.

Next steps

The City is currently organizing the data and developing formal recommendations to present to City Council on May 21, 2025.

If you have any comments or feedback you would like to share before the Council meeting, email legal1@mississauga.ca.

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