Protester arrested after disrupting City of Ottawa information session about Sprung structure

A man wearing a t-shirt that said "No tent in Ottawa" was arrested after he briefly disrupted a City of Ottawa info session about the proposed Sprung structure that is set to be built along Woodroffe Avenue near the Nepean Sportsplex.

A man wearing a t-shirt that said "No tent in Ottawa" briefly disrupted a City of Ottawa info session about the proposed Sprung structure that is set to be built along Woodroffe Avenue near the Nepean Sportsplex.

As Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine was speaking, the man ran onto the stage and began chanting, "No tent! No tent!" He was then escorted off the stage by security and arrested by Ottawa police.

"After de-escalation strategies proved unsuccessful, one person was arrested and charged with trespassing at a community event this evening at the Nepean Sportsplex," Ottawa police said on social media. "The Ottawa Police Service supports the rights of all people to demonstrate in a peaceful manner, but our officers also have an obligation to take action to ensure community safety."

Shortly after the disruption, as Devine attempted to get the meeting back to order, several more residents demanded they be allowed to ask open questions. Devine said there would be ample opportunity to ask questions in the second half of the meeting, after the presentations, but he appeared to lose control of the room as several residents began chanting "No tents!" and "Shame on you!" Several people walked out and the meeting then proceeded as planned. 

"He's not answering questions. Everyone's asking questions, he's not answering them. He's saying wait an hour, until everyone's tired," said Lotty Pontones, who walked out of the meeting. "We all have important questions. He's just telling us what to do and not to address questions to him, so it's pretty pointless."

Once the presentations ended, some residents at the meeting again demanded open questions instead of the one-on-one format that was planned. Devine said there was not a single consensus in the room on the issue and encouraged attendees to speak to each other as well, saying he was concerned about polarization.