National Council of Canadian Muslims looks to address harassment in the city with bylaw

The National Council of Canadian Muslims is looking to address harassment in the city of Saskatoon with a new bylaw.

The organization’s senior legal counsel spoke at a city committee meeting Tuesday, asking them to consider implementing a harassment bylaw in order to make the city a safe place for everyone.

“Our presentation today was to bring to council’s attention what we see as being a gap, regulatory gap or legislative gap, for citizens of Saskatoon who experience street harassment in public places, whether it’s the bus, whether it’s in a mall, whether it’s in a park, a library, whatever the case might be,” said Daniel Kuhlen.

“It allows people to safely go about their lives without being verbally assaulted, or women getting off work being cat-called or whatever, and it allows us as a city to say we need to be better.”

Kuhlen said this bylaw wouldn’t address the type of harassment leading to a Criminal Code offence, but something still toxic and harmful to the person experiencing it.

“Something as simple as yet disturbing as being in a grocery store and hearing somebody say to another person, ‘Go back to where you came from,’ or ‘Why are you here?'” Kuhlen said.

“I’m not saying that would trigger the anti-harassment bylaw — if it was a one-off and the person walked away it might not — but if a person is in another person’s face, the victims face repeatedly for five or 10 minutes and follows them out to their car, or to the bus stop, then maybe it would.”

His proposed bylaw wouldn’t just protect the Muslim community in Saskatoon, but people of all walks of life.

“Nobody should be judged based on how they look, or how they dress, or what their ethnic composition may be, or what’s ascribed to them in terms of their religious faith, or whatever the case might be,” said Kuhlen.

Kuhlen said he is pleased with the questions asked by committee on Tuesday and is overall pleased with the outcome of his presentation.

During the committee meeting, councillors wanted to know how the police play a part, and administration responded.

“If committee were to resolve that this be referred to administration for a report, Saskatoon Police Services would be a key stakeholder in any conversation,” said Lynne Lacroix, general manager at the city of Saskatoon.

At the end of all questions and comments, Ward 2 Coun. Hilary Gough motioned for administration to report back to committee with what options are available, and what other cities have done.

Gough said she also wants to know the policing aspect of the proposed bylaw.

The motion passed unanimously, and administration will report back to committee in the new year.

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