Two charged after anti-poverty protest at T.O. City Hall

Protesters have stormed the city's budget meeting. Police are standing guard outside councillors' offices and have made arrests. Warning: This video contains language some may find offensive.

CTV Toronto Extended: Protesters storm city hall

Protesters have stormed the city's budget meeting. Police are standing guard outside councillors' offices and have made arrests. Warning: This video contains language some may find offensive.

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Members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty disrupt a budget committee meeting at city hall in Toronto, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011.

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ctvtoronto.ca

Date: Thu. Feb. 10 2011 1:40 PM ET

Two members of an anti-poverty protest were charged after clashing with police on Thursday after storming Toronto's City Hall and disrupting a budget committee meeting.

About 50 members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty were confronted by police and security guards after they forced the suspension of a budget committee meeting while demanding more support for the city's impoverished.

At least three protesters were detained by police after they took over the board room and attempted to force their way into councillors' offices.

Toronto police Const. Wendy Drummond confirmed that one person had been charged with assaulting a police officer and another was charged with obstructing a police officer stemming from the confrontation.

Drummond said others may have been detained by police but were released without charges.

The brief conflict began when dozens of poverty-rights group members gathered outside City Hall shortly after 10 a.m. and marched to City Hall's second floor, where the budget committee was meeting.

The group disrupted the committee meeting, chanting and beating on drums as members shouted at budget committee vice-chairman Doug Ford. Before long, police and security guards were forced to intervene.

City councillors who were a part of budget committee were escorted to safety.

Protesters then moved to an area that housed council members' offices, banging on the door and shouting at police.

"Stop the war on the poor, make the rich pay," the crowd chanted.

At one point OCAP leader John Clarke climbed on to a receptionist's desk and denounced Mayor Rob Ford for cutting transit routes, shelters and other services.

"This year they are only delivering the first blow. Much worse is to come," Clarke shouted. "The vision that Ford has for this city is a police force and a few privatized services operated by non-unionized cheap labour."

A note posted on OCAP's website claimed Ford's budget committee was "working out the details of the opening round of his attack on poor and working people."

OCAP says the Ford administration is cutting resources to the city's homeless shelters while giving tax breaks to the wealthy.

The protest came amid reports that Ford plans to target life-long job clauses found in the contracts of at least 13,000 paramedics, arena operators and garbage collectors.

An attempt to cancel the "jobs for life" clause in 2002 led to a 16-day strike.

CTV Toronto has also learned that Ford will aim to privatize maintenance on TTC buses, which currently costs the city about $300 million a year. Privatizing the cleaning positions at police stations and TTC stations will also be a priority.

Comments are now closed for this story

AM
said

Andrew - I think you watch way too much television. Suburbans? Not in Toronto. SWAT Style Suits are not standard issue uniforms for Toronto officers either. And water cannons....not in TO's budget. If they were, do you not think they would have deployed them during the rioting of the G20?
Exactly how would you like the Toronto Police to cut their budget...by removing officers from the street? That is a benefit to the citizens of Toronto how?

Gary (Toronto)
said

OCAP needs to get some facts straight. Alot of people who are in poverty do NOT take the opportunites to go to government funding programs to take themselves up back up on there feet. So why should my taxpayer money go to you when you don't even use the beds/meals that are provided for YOU. Not to mention, like someone above..It's amazing that you guys are poverty group yet you have leather jackets, and high tech phone. The video shown says alot about OCAP and they aren't positive.

Zebulon Pike
said

Aren't protests against poverty in Ontario rather useless? After all, there is no poverty there. I say quadruple Ontario's tax load and bleed off their excess wealth, and give it to others. If they resist, quintuple it. Make the rich pay.

Peter in MB
said

So they are angry that recreational programs might be cut. So In other words these welfare bums who don�t want to work are mad that their free ride is over.When are these left wing loonies going to learn that this type of aggressive style of protest will does not work and will never accomplish anything?

Andrew
said

I don't agree with just about everything OCAP says but I will agree with one of their tweets this morning when they said demanded services to the poor weren't cut but POLICE budgets were. Our cops have water cannons, SWAT style suits, brand new Chargers and Suburbans. What is Canada considered to them, Egypt? Police budgets need to be drastically cut back so there's money to put into services for poor

Red X
said

The protesters were willing to stand up to a bully that guaranteed NO service cuts and then changed position once elected.

URU
said

Put those protesters in jail. EVERYONE NEEDS and MUST work for their money regardless of proverty or not. We ALL pay into the tax system so EVERYONE has a voice even thou we (they) are considered middle class. You can't justify giving tax payers money away to poverty stricken people, its no one's fault that they don't want to work or not making enough. Ford is doing the right thing for all hard working class people!!! NO FREEBIES for anyone. Work for your own money and stop milking tax payers. Enough is Enough!

saskguy
said

Wow maybe if they put that much effort into working at there union jobs they could have some extra cash to give to the poor. Plus what do trade union employees know about the poverty line?

Gilbert in Ottawa
said

Dear Torontonians, Once your new Mayor is done cleaning your city, can you please send him to Ottawa. We could really use his help in cleaning up the Nation's Capital. Our new Mayor here, Jimbo, has already started waisted our taxes from the first day in office... Please help!!!We will then send him to the next city needing help once he has cleaned Ottawa. (isn't this the real meaning of socialism, sharing the good) thanks in advance,

Lane
said

These pro-union agitators have a lot of nerve disrupting the proceedings of a democratically elected council to shout profanities. (Watch and listen to the video.) It is especially despicable that they would do this in the name of the "poor", while they themselves are wearing expensive designer clothing and leather jackets and holding the most current personal communications and video recording devices.

Carl
said

The slogan "make the rich pay" should send chills down the spine of every Canadian. These union activists (not defenders of the poor at all) want to demonize anyone who has achieved any economic success, no matter how hard they worked for it. They will not rest until they have destroyed the rights and incentives that are the basis of our entire economic system.

Rich in Toronto
said

I was happy to see that even with the support of a rhythm section, "Let them go!!! Let them go!!!" still doesn't work ;)I bust my butt to make $55K, im still barely getting by... you wanna fix poverty - hand out discounts on steel toe workboots!

Michael
said

Yes the protestors are emotional. However, that does not mean the cause they are emotional about is bogus, and just because they're outside during the day does not mean they do not have jobs.
Don't fool yourself - this is not before the city budget has been considered. These days, you don't learn about things as they are being considered. Decisions are made behind closed doors and a press release is sent to media outlets who will disseminate it to the public. This press release will say something like "maybe something insignificant might happen, sometime" but really the deal is already made. Notice in this report the reporter says "yes, the protestors feel that cuts to recreation programs will be very tough on the poor..." as she looks down at her piece of paper. None of this is about recreation for poor people - it's about the people who are homeless today being forsaken even more, while more and more people lose their incomes and homes each day.

Don't settle for distraction while your leaders make uninformed decisions that have pronounced effects on you and your city. Distraction is what they sell you.

What War
said

"privatized services operated by non-unionized cheap labour"We can never have "cheap" (read affordable) non-union labour. We must keep the highly trained, highly skilled union worker employed. It doesn't quite sound like a help the poor pitch to me. Why must the government always step up? Why don't these people go march around the suburbs? Why don't they go march around the affluent neighborhoods? Are they too lazy to really put the appeal out to the people with money? It is people who give. Governments govern and administer. These ACAP people need a leader with a brain. Let's donate shovels to them on the next snowy day.

Paul
said

Poverty Pimps are at it again. The only poor are the working poor, those who crawl out of bed every morning and work themselves half to death, only to have the government steal most of it away to pay for "social programs". Go hang out at a welfare office someday and see for yourself how many of these "impoverished" drive nice cars, have cell phones that they seem to be able to afford to use DAYTIME MINUTES with etc etc etc.

Marc Bissonnette
said

"Rich" is anyone earning over $50K ? Are they *serious* ???A family of five in Toronto bringing in $50K is still close to the poverty line. "Comfortably living" would be in the $250K range"Rich" would probably be well over the $500K range - certainly *not* 10% of that!

Frank, Canada
said

It is time that the Toronto mess was cleaned up & support Mayor Fords efforts to do just that.ocap are militant activists and as usual their information is skewed - this kind of action will get them nowhere - they use anger, force & intimidation to force their beliefs forward & that is not the way to resolve any kind of issue.

Mike in ON
said

Clarke is an idiot. Does he really think that storming a budget meeting will get them to consider his plight? 'Jobs for life' isn't sustainable, Mr. Clarke. We're in an age where fiscal responsibility is necessary. That means that, rather than crying a river because the job you had with the City has been privatized, maybe you should be applying to work for the company that gets the contract. He wants to make the rich pay? Well, has he considered that, in many cases, it's the rich that EMPLOY the largest number of people?

Doug ^^^ BC
said

We can "stop the war on the poor,and make the rich pay" any time the poor want us to.The only catch is,they have to step up and do the work the so called " rich" are now doing,while the "rich" get to while away their days protesting,setting fires,and smashing windows. BTW.It was only a couple of years ago that the local NDP described "rich" as anyone earning more that $50,000 per year. How many people earning that salary feel "rich"?? Especially after you pay your taxes,pay for school,and buy the tools you need for work. My guess,not many $50,000 per year people feel "rich". But still,they are the ones who pay most of the bills in this once great nation.

Jon
said

Everyone wants something for nothing. The real world doesn't work that way and I actually don't think Ford is cutting enough. These people should all be arrested and thrown in jail for their disruption. I applaud the mayor for standing up for the tax payer and squashing the leeches.

Doug On
said

Before the city budget is even considered, they are front and centre. These are not the poor and working people. It is ten o'clock on a Thursday morning. They are professional trouble-makers being funded by gullible charities, the taxpayers of Canada, and unions.

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