‘Get a hobby’: B.C. premier tells those considering protesting COVID-19 mandates

B.C.’s premier says what happened in Ottawa will not happen in Victoria. John Horgan made the comments Friday, as some people who were part of the disruptive anti-COVID mandate demonstration in Ottawa have been talking about bringing a convoy to B.C.’s capital city.

“There will be no occupation in Victoria, based on what I’ve heard from (Victoria Police Chief Constable) Del Manak and the City of Victoria,” Horgan said.

He offered comments to would-be convoy participants:

“I would just say to these people, ‘Goodness me, get a hobby. Find something else to do with your time. We are removing restrictions at a pace that is consistent with the work we’ve done for the past two years.'”

Noting over 90 per cent of adults in B.C. are vaccinated against COVID, Horgan says “we are spending an awful lot of time with a small group of people who seem to have nothing better to do with their time but to drive around in circles, honking their horns.”

Watch: B.C. Premier John Horgan tells convoy protesters to ‘give your head a shake’ and ‘get a hobby’

B.C. has now dropped its mask mandate, though the face coverings rule in schools will only take effect on March 28 when staff and students return from spring break. The province’s vaccine passport program will be gone as of April 8.

With mandates are lifting, it’s unclear what aspect of mandates protesters would be rallying against, should a demonstration go ahead.

“I wish they’d take some time to watch television and see the evening news about real tragedies and real disruptions in freedom that are going on in Europe right now. Give your head a shake. Find a better way to take your energies and put it to positive outcomes. That’s my recommendation.”

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Horgan says a protest is fine, but does not want any disruption in the community. He says an occupation will not be tolerated and hard lessons were learned in Ottawa.

“Law enforcement that now sees what happens when you try to be polite and say, ‘Please go home.’ They were not met with an appropriate response … I know that law enforcement in Victoria — reinforced, if necessary — is going to encourage people to make their point and then disperse. That’s the normal course of action in civil disobedience.”

For the past seven weekends, the BC Legislature lawn has been a meeting places for hundreds of people protesting mask and vaccine mandates.

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Last month, a judge in Ontario granted an injunction against honking in downtown Ottawa. Truckers had parked on city streets, incessantly honking their horns at all hours and disrupting residents.

Horgan says such behaviour will not be tolerated in Victoria.

“That doesn’t help the cause, if there is one, and it certainly doesn’t help with tolerance in the community. And we need tolerance now more than ever.”

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