The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled Monday that restrictions on gatherings, which prohibited peaceful protests during the COVID-19 pandemic, were unconstitutional.
Former Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston MPP Randy Hillier had faced 25 charges for organizing multiple protests against pandemic measures beginning in the spring of 2021.
Hillier appealed after an initial judge found the restrictions were justified and therefore constitutional, while conceding the limits on gatherings did infringe his right to peaceful assembly.
The Appeal Court says the judge viewed the impact restrictions had too broadly rather than on the right to peaceful assembly specifically.
In its ruling, the court stated the restrictions amounted to an “outright ban,” on protests, while allowing exceptions on other outdoor gatherings such as funerals and weddings.
In a Facebook post, Hillier described the ruling as a “historic milestone for Canadian freedom.”
Story by Grant Deme