By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, April 6, 2020
Ottawa bylaw officers rung up more than 40 people over the weekend for not adhering to the physical distancing laws, but the Canadian Civil Liberties Association is accusing the city of “overpolicing.”
There were 43 tickets issued, including two tickets totalling $2,010 issued to someone who was in a closed park and wouldn’t give his name to authorities, Mayor Jim Watson said during a press conference Monday.
(...)The city hasn’t closed roads to make room for pedestrians and cyclists who are trying to stay safely away from each other.
Watson said the city could consider a “bump out” onto the street in front of legally open businesses where there’s bunching at the entrances. He said the city would also consider allowing better pedestrian access on the Bank Street bridge between the Glebe and Old Ottawa South.Try travelling on the less-busy streets if you want to maintain a safe distance while getting some fresh air, Watson advised people.
The National Capital Commission has declined requests to kick cars off the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, Queen Elizabeth Driveway and off Colonel By Drive to make more room for pedestrians and cyclists trying to keep two metres apart from each other.