'It’s about human decency': London MPP introduces act to prevent graphic flyer distribution
London, Ont. took the lead, and now a local MPP wants the province to follow suit.
London North Centre MPP Terence Kernaghan re-introduced the Viewer Discretion Act (VDA) at Queen’s Park Monday.
The VDA is a private member’s bill that will ensure graphic images delivered to residences are concealed in an envelope with a warning label.
“This would require that images of this nature would be concealed in an envelope with a clear warning label indicating what their contents are,” said Kernaghan. “People would have the choice whether or not they choose, or choose not to engage with this type of material.”
He compares the act to video games, music, or movies which all have warning labels if there is explicit content.
“I was literally put into a situation where my grief came back,” said Katie Dean, who first received a flyer in her mailbox in 2012. “I have suffered a loss, and this triggered my trauma.”
In 2020 when Dean heard these flyers were making their way around neighbourhoods in London, she took action.
“Something needs to stop as so many people are being traumatized,” said Dean. “Children are finding these images and they are having nightmares.”
She formed the Viewer Discretion Legislation Coalition (VDLC) and started advocating to London City Council to have a by-law passed prohibiting the unsolicited distribution of these images.
She was thrilled when London passed the by-law on May 4, 2022, and now others are jumping on board.
“Woodstock just passed the same bylaw a couple of weeks ago,” said Dean. “St. Catharines is working on the same by-law and even Calgary. So it's very exciting. If we could do it provincially we wouldn't have to deal with all the municipalities we could just do it one lump sum provincially.”
Like London’s by-law, the VDA would also require the name and address of the person distributing the material, and a warning label on the outside of a sealed envelope.
“We're not taking away your freedom of expression,” said Dean. “We're just asking you to put them in envelopes for you deliver them with a viewer discretion warning.”
Kernaghan is hoping this will be brought forward to second reading, then committee stage and third reading to become law.
“Nobody believes that children should be inflicted with these gory, problematic images,” said Kernaghan.
He’s received support from the official opposition and constituents from municipalities across the province, and believes the VDA should be passed.
“It is a nonpartisan issue,” said Dean. “This is literally just about human decency.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.