11/23/2011 | The Canadian Press
Kitchen tent owners remove structure from St. James Park on Nov. 22, 2011. CITYNEWS.
At least eight people were arrested early Wednesday when police entered Ottawa's Confederation Park to ask Occupy protesters to leave.
A spokesman for the Occupy Ottawa legal support committee said all but one person had been released with a $65 trespass ticket.
The Ottawa action came after the National Capital Commission, which owns the park, posted a notice on Monday ordering the protesters out.
In Toronto, meanwhile, a handful of protesters at the Occupy camp have spent the night waiting to see if police would enforce a court order that says the site must be cleared.
The downtown park had previously filled with supporters defying the eviction notice which went into effect the night before, but a cold, relentless rain saw numbers shrink significantly by late Tuesday night.
Rumours around the park had suggested police would move in before dawn but only a few cruisers were seen on the streets bordering St. James Park in the early morning hours.
Many of those who decided to brave the soggy conditions said they would peacefully resist authorities who ask them to leave.
They said while their ranks had dwindled, the spirit of the movement remains strong.
But some in the park have also expressed a desire for the authorities to move in sooner rather than later so the movement can move on to a new phase.
Protester Chloe Marae says Occupy Toronto isn't confined to tents in a park but is about moving towards a better future.
Meanwhile, protester Aaron Morris says just the fact that the average person seems to be discussing Occupy, even if they aren't part of the protest, marks the success of the movement so far.
Many cities across Canada have been asking local Occupy camps to dismantle citing broken bylaws and security risks.
Camps in Quebec City, Halifax, London, Regina and Saskatoon have been taken down, while some protesters in Vancouver and Montreal are still lingering at sites despite being been asked to leave.
A spokesman for the Occupy Ottawa legal support committee said all but one person had been released with a $65 trespass ticket.
The Ottawa action came after the National Capital Commission, which owns the park, posted a notice on Monday ordering the protesters out.
In Toronto, meanwhile, a handful of protesters at the Occupy camp have spent the night waiting to see if police would enforce a court order that says the site must be cleared.
The downtown park had previously filled with supporters defying the eviction notice which went into effect the night before, but a cold, relentless rain saw numbers shrink significantly by late Tuesday night.
Rumours around the park had suggested police would move in before dawn but only a few cruisers were seen on the streets bordering St. James Park in the early morning hours.
Many of those who decided to brave the soggy conditions said they would peacefully resist authorities who ask them to leave.
They said while their ranks had dwindled, the spirit of the movement remains strong.
But some in the park have also expressed a desire for the authorities to move in sooner rather than later so the movement can move on to a new phase.
Protester Chloe Marae says Occupy Toronto isn't confined to tents in a park but is about moving towards a better future.
Meanwhile, protester Aaron Morris says just the fact that the average person seems to be discussing Occupy, even if they aren't part of the protest, marks the success of the movement so far.
Many cities across Canada have been asking local Occupy camps to dismantle citing broken bylaws and security risks.
Camps in Quebec City, Halifax, London, Regina and Saskatoon have been taken down, while some protesters in Vancouver and Montreal are still lingering at sites despite being been asked to leave.
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