Municipalities across Canada are increasingly confronted by tough decisions on an often-divisive community issue: how to respond to public marches, demonstrations, city council hearings, and the use of municipal facilities for particularly partisan purposes.

What cities often get is the local passion and problems caused by international events. Sometimes they spill out with trouble and turmoil onto city streets or sidewalks. Sometimes they occur because of purely Canadian issues that engage a portion of the population.

There is no universal handbook. Every city must develop its own policies and procedures, and that starts with answering the challenging questions facing councillors: What happens if a supposed community information session suddenly turns into a religious or political incident? Does a city official order it ended? How are community meeting rooms or library rooms utilized? Are flags raised at city hall for certain dates in history, celebrations of a community occasion, or to salute an organization? Are radical speakers allowed at city council? How will the city oversee parades or demonstrations? Will public parks be available for mass events that have a slant toward an ethnic, political, or religious faction? What to do about posters tacked on city poles?

Councils need three strong responses:

1. Clear, thoughtful policies
2. Fair and consistent practices
3. Firm and even enforcement

The city leadership is required to mitigate the uglier side of this issue: violence at a demonstration, conflicting parades or marches, shouting matches in public, and, most deplorably, violence. Synagogues, mosques, churches attacked. Fights on city streets. Threats on social media. Personal attacks.

There should always be excellent coordination between the city's security department and emergency services—police, fire, EMT. City hall can provide road barriers and parade signage to try to control the flow of demonstrators. Sometimes a city has even moved in large trucks and buses to block certain intersections.

Managing the media is a constant concern. Who will be the chief spokesperson for the municipality? Will there be joint police/civic press conferences? How will the city manage social media?

Inevitably, cities can receive negative national media coverage for demonstrations that soar into violence or after particularly ugly incidents occur on their streets. But if a municipality is so strict that it does not allow legitimate expressions of opinion, even on current matters of concern, it risks being criticized for a lack of public debate and discussion. The diaspora in the community will often have passionate views that should be heard.

These are tough decisions for municipalities.