The Minister of Justice and Public Safety says legislation intended to keep people who access public buildings for health care from being intimidated or harassed was in the works long before a protest on the weekend that ended up disrupting a vaccine clinic in St. John’s.

Minister John Hogan says the legislation, which will be introduced in the spring sitting of the House of Assembly, will establish what’s being called a 50-metre access zone around health care and educational facilities to allow “safe access.”

Eastern Health said yesterday that staff decided to close Saturday’s vaccine clinic at Waterford Valley High in St. John’s a half-hour early after people coming and going from the clinic were shouted at by protesters—some whom were not masked. The RNC were called in, but there were no arrests.

Hogan says the legislation is intended to balance the right to peaceful protest with the right of people to access health and education services free from emotional upset.

Hogan says government was going to bring the legislation forward anyhow, but wanted the public to know they are working on it.

He’s been asked “why now?” Hogan says that government wanted to be proactive to ensure that nothing bad happens in future.