The end of a bus service isn’t the usual catalyst for protest, but the end of STC’s reign in Saskatchewan is a different matter. As its final bus rolled into Saskatoon Wednesday evening, a handful of passengers refused to get off the bus. The six stood their ground, keeping Saskatoon police on scene for five hours until one in the morning.
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In the aftermath, the protesters found an unusual support. Regina Ward 3 Councillor Andrew Stevens who took to Twitter saying “Civil disobedience is important”.
“I think it did send a signal on how important this service is to people in Saskatchewan and for some people it’s the only way of being independent and making it from some city to another… The fact that they were willing to risk arrest shows how significant it is,” Stevens said.
It’s just four words, but its a message that shocked Regina Mayor Michael Fougere.
The mayor said Steven’s won’t face any censure by fellow councilors and Stevens is entitled to his opinion.
Fougere just hopes his message will carry the day.
“We don’t want to talk about civil disobedience that crosses a line, I don’t accept and I don’t think anybody would accept it as a rational way to go about protesting,” Fougere said.
“I think what they did was admirable and I’m not going to chastise them or say that shouldn’t of done this,” Stevens said.
The six protesters were arrested on mischief charges and carted off to the Saskatoon Police Station where they received only a warning, then they were sent on their way.