While the Occupy movement seems to be facing resistance throughout North America, the future of Occupy Ottawa is still up in the air.
There have been no injuries so far and the protests in Ottawa have been “low key,” according to police.
“Everything has been status quo so far,” and the protests are monitored daily, said Const. Henri Lanctôt, an Ottawa police media representative.
The Occupy Ottawa protests have been taking place in Confederation Park, one of the main locations for Winterlude, an annual three-week winter festival that attracts hundreds of thousands of vistors each year. Winterlude is run by Canada’s National Capital Commission (NCC).
Any decision to shut down the protests would be the NCC’s, according to police.
The NCC could not be reached for comment, but NCC CEO Marie Lemay told the Ottawa Citizen that they’re going to want the park cleared of protesters with Winterlude approaching. Winterlude officially begins Feb. 3, but preparations start well in advance.
Mitchell Broughton, a member of the legal committee at Occupy Ottawa, said they’ve been in constant communication with the NCC since they started sleeping in the park Oct. 15, according to the National Post.
“The occupation of the park is fundamental to this movement,” he told the National Post. “It’s essential that people remain here 24/7.”
The occupy protests in London, Ont. were the first in Canada to be shut down before with Halifax following suit. Occupiers in Toronto and Calgary were also served eviction notices, whereas the City of Vancouver has taken the Occupy movement to court in an effort to shut down the camp.
This comes after a 23-year-old Victoria woman died from an overdose of cocaine and heroin at the protest last weekend.
Police in New York City evicted protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement’s birthplace, Zuccotti Park, Nov. 14.
