‘We need a complainant’: city urges Londoners to report if offended by street preachers

The city is urging Londoners to come forward if they’ve been a victim of street harassment.

Council passed amendments to the city’s nuisance bylaw last year, making it illegal to use abusive or insulting language when it prevents people from enjoying public spaces.

This was done to curb street preachers, who’ve been known to use abusive language to passersby, mostly toward women.

The city’s bylaw manager Orest Katolyk is urging members of the public, who are offended, to email the city with a formal complaint.

“The reality with this nuisance bylaw is that we need a complainant and that complainant may have to provide evidence in the future,” he explained.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The reality with this nuisance bylaw is that we need a complainant and that complainant may have to provide evidence in the future," he explained.

“I can’t just go out and have officers observe something if the complainant doesn’t feel that they’ve been negatively impacted with their enjoyment of public space.”

Complaints should be emailed to enforcement@london.ca and Katolyk says they’ve already received plenty.

“I can confirm that we are currently investigating several complaints that we received [Monday] with respect to two individuals that were allegedly accosting citizens while they were on public space.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I can confirm that we are currently investigating several complaints that we received [Monday] with respect to two individuals that were allegedly accosting citizens while they were on public space."

Councillors first moved to take action on the issue last spring after receiving dozens of complaints about the small group of so-called street preachers. An updated bylaw was approved in the summer, but not without lively debate.

At the time, some councillors expressed concern that the bylaw amendment could have unintended consequences if misused. The staff report, however, noted that the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a ruling from the Niagara region that banned abusive behaviour that “unnecessarily interferes with the use and enjoyment of a Park by other persons.”

“Citizens should not be accosted by individuals based on their gender, what they are wearing, whether women are wearing makeup or high heels or a dress or whatnot,” Katolyk told 980 CFPL on Tuesday.

“It’s simply bad for the city, bad for tourism.”

Anyone found breaking the nuisance bylaw in that way could be faced with a minimum fine of $500.

— with files from 980 CFPL’s Jaclyn Carbone and Jake Jeffrey.