A local newspaper claims the City of Vancouver has ordered it to remove its newsboxes from near three major upcoming events.
In an editorial, the Georgia Straight claims they received a “disturbing email” from the city on Tuesday.
They say the email instructed them to remove all newsboxes by noon Thursday from the entire Vaisakhi parade route, which is happening on Saturday.
On top of that, the paper has also been ordered to remove its newsboxes in the vicinity of the Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday. Newsboxes will also have to be pulled from parts of the West End in advance of the 420 event at Sunset Beach next Wednesday.
The paper claims it held no discussions with the city about this and has never been ordered to remove their newsboxes from these three events in the past.
The paper says the removal order constitutes a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees freedom of expression, including freedom of the media.
“It’s an appalling and unjustified attack not only on a local company that employs dozens of Vancouverites,” reads the editorial, “but also on scores of arts, music, film, and other cultural organizations that rely on the Georgia Straight to help deliver audiences to their performances.”
Georgia Straight is also raising concerns about a potential terrorism threat:
In the absence of any explanation from the city, here’s the only thing we can conclude: officials are petrified of terrorism taking place at the Vancouver Vaisakhi parade, Vancouver Sun Run, and Vancouver 420 event.
Global News has reached out to Vancouver police, who say it is common to remove items such as newspaper boxes, postal boxes and other objects from areas where large numbers of people are expected to gather.
“The items can pose a hazard or safety risk and can impede or block the easy flow of the crowd through the area,” said Constable Brian Montague in an email. “It is unfortunate the Georgia Straight sees the request as being unreasonable, but our priority is public safety.”
Montague has also confirmed that Canada remains at a medium terrorism threat level and there is no known specific threat to Vancouver at this time.
Global News is still waiting to hear back from the City of Vancouver on this issue.