Where were you April 8, 2021? If you were in Ontario, your government said you must be at home, and nowhere else, unless you qualified to leave your home for a few select government-approved purposes. Even a peaceful outdoor protest with just five people was completely illegal from April 8 to June 2, 2021. This was not unlike the conditions courts impose on criminals when placed under house arrest.
There was no medical or scientific justification for placing 14 million Ontarians under house arrest. The government was engaging in fear-mongering, and blatantly violating Charter rights and freedoms.
The vast majority of politicians went along with this tragic government overreach, even supported it enthusiastically. Former Ontario MPP Randy Hillier did not. Rather, he, along with other principled and brave Ontarians participated in safe, peaceful outdoor protests to challenge the government’s narrative, and to speak out against these egregious violations.
Mr. Hillier was then charged under the Reopening Ontario Act and threatened with a $100,000 fine and a year in prison. He was also charged with hosting a public event where attendance exceeded the number permitted under an Order, for which the minimum penalty is $10,000.
The Justice Centre is proud to be defending Mr. Hillier, and in turn, all Ontarians who endured and resisted the unscientific and unjust political edicts of 2020-2022, by challenging the constitutionality of Ontario’s public health orders. While we’ve already seen charge after charge withdrawn in the face of our legal defense, the government has not admitted that its prohibition on outdoor protests was unconstitutional (like the BC government did when we sued it for prohibiting protests).
On Thursday and Friday this week, July 27-28, 2023 (livestream details below), our lawyers will be in court on behalf of Randy Hillier seeking to have Ontario’s prohibition on outdoor protests declared unconstitutional.
Such a ruling would stop all other prosecutions under the Reopening Ontario Act.
Prosecutors can then re-focus and go after real criminals, as they should. Furthermore, a court victory will serve as a precedent against the government imposing house arrest on its honest citizens again.
Dr. Kevin Bardosh is one of three experts testifying for us in this case. Dr. Bardosh, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington with extensive medical credentials, provided the court with a compelling comprehensive expert report about lockdown harms. Based on a large volume of evidence, the report concludes that the government’s Covid-19 restrictions “cause excessive and needless harm to the mental health, physical health and well being of Canadians” which will have “long-term, negative consequences on the future of Canadians society.” It is clear that lockdowns destroyed businesses, prevented children from attending school, damaged people’s mental health, and caused a huge rise in addictions.
We cannot allow governments to take us back to April 8, 2021
During a press conference Monday afternoon, Ontario’s Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said the majority of the virus spread in the province is coming from long-term care, retirement homes, workplaces, and social gatherings — adding that roughly one third of Ontario’s population is still socializing.
But what happens when you can actually hear a party taking place or see multiple families, unmasked, entering one household with your own eyes? What happens when the people dangerously flouting lockdown restrictions are your neighbours?
“The short answer is the best thing to do is call 311 to report,” a city spokesperson told blogTO by email Monday.
According to a statement from the city’s Municipal Licensing & Standards division, enforcement officers are on patrol across Toronto monitoring compliance with provincial orders and municipal bylaws, and they also respond to complaints made through 311 on a daily basis.
But just because you call 311 doesn’t mean your neighbour will necessarily face real consequences, because enforcing bylaws is a complex process that requires investigation, gathering facts, and applying legal processes.
If a gathering disperses before officers can confirm it took place, for example, there’s no real way to for the city to take enforcement action.
“On a case-by-case basis, the enforcement team works to achieve compliance through education and/or enforcement action,” reads the city’s statement.
“Should an investigation find that a gathering is defiance of Provincial orders, appropriate enforcement action will be taken against organizers and/or attendees.”
Under the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA), any individual caught defying the shutdown rules by hosting an illegal gathering could face a fine between $10,000 and $100,000, plus a potential term of imprisonment of not more than one year.
An individual caught attending a gathering could meanwhile receive a fine ranging from $750 to $100,000, including up to one year in jail.
A director or officer of a corporation, on the other hand, could face a fine of not more than $500,000 and a term of imprisonment of not more than one year, and a corporation could be fined up to $10,000,000.
“The City of Toronto recognizes that the public have been asked to significantly adjust their behaviours as requirements and orders have changed throughout the COVID-19 response,” reads the statement.
“Compliance with requirements, including Province of Ontario emergency orders and City bylaws restricting gathering size and requiring mandatory masks or face coverings and physical distancing, remains crucial to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in our city.”
If You Never Made It to Police State East Germany Under the STASI or North Korea, Welcome to the Medico-Stalinist Tyranny of Ontario: Gatherings in YOUR Home Banned; Churches & Most Businesses Closed
Here are the fines people could face for violating Ontario’s coronavirus shutdown laws Ontario entered a provincewide shutdown on Saturday in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19. It’s the second lockdown for the province since the pandemic began, with the first widespread measures having been in place during the spring. targeting social gatherings and businesses are among measures implemented as part of the shutdown.
A list of the restrictions currently enforceable throughout Ontario by provincial law are detailed under this section of Reopening Ontario Act, a spokesperson from the solicitor general’s office said. Among them are:
A ban on indoor social gatherings with anyone outside of your
household. There is an exception for a person who lives alone and visits
a second household.
A ban on outdoor social gatherings of more than 10 people.
The closure or limitation on operations of some businesses, including
the closure of personal care services, limitation on retail sales, and
restricting restaurants and bars to take-out, delivery, or drive-thru
services only.
The restrictions are expected to be locally
adjusted as regions move out of lockdown next month and the province
moves back to its colour-coded response framework.
Depending on
the violation of an emergency order and the discretion of an officer who
observes an offence, the type of charge laid as well as the resulting
fine can vary.
In general, anyone who violates an emergency order
could face a fine of $750, while a person who obstructs someone
exercising power or performing a duty in accordance with an order could
face a fine of $1,000.
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However, a person who violates an emergency order could also
be issued a summons in which the court would determine a penalty upon
conviction, that could include a fine of up to $100,000 and a year in
jail.
The province has also set up a minimum $10,000 fine for hosts or organizers of parties in violation of gathering laws.
Meanwhile, corporations which violate an emergency order could face a fine up to $10,000,000 upon conviction.
Fines could be increased even higher “by an amount equal to the financial benefit that was acquired.”
It’s
important to note that municipalities may also impose additional
restrictions beyond those implemented by the province, which could
include additional fines.
