Following in the footsteps of nomads on the Mongol steppe, protesters at the Occupy Toronto demonstration have erected yurts at St James Park in Toronto, Canada in preparation for the winter season. A protest was originally held in Wall Street in New York City objecting to the excesses of Wall Street.  Protesters claim these have contributed to economic decline and have inspired similar demonstrations throughout the world.

Unions, including the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, paid USD 20,000 yurt to house protesters. Yurts have become fashionable and even appeared in the trend-setting Niemen Marcus Christmas catalog for USD 75,000. Although similar, yurts are not the same as the Mongolian felt tent, the ger. The dwellings protesters have erected are a sort of yurt-ger hybrid from the Toronto producer Groovy Yurts.

With winter on the way, organizers erected three gers last weekend to provide warmth, shelter, and a communal space for the ever-growing tent city in downtown Toronto. Despite their humble nomadic roots, the stylish dwellings are a far cry from the chilly tents where most protesters sleep. While Central Asian felt gers are made of re-purposed sheep wool, but these North American iterations are much more advanced. Your average Mongolian herder isn't weathering subzero temperatures with foam thermal sheeting and Plexiglas windows.

One ger will serve as a post office and library, including an instructional guide for building gers. Organizers have not yet decided how the largest yurt, next to the food station, will be used. Some have proposed a safe space for women, a general assembly area, or a warm place for people to stay at night.