'Freedom Convoy' leaders face new criminal charges
Defendants now jointly face more mischief, intimidation and obstructing police charges
The Crown has laid more charges against three key leaders of the so-called Freedom Convoy.
Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and Pat King all appeared in court virtually Thursday, a little more than one month after the weeks-long occupation of Ottawa's downtown core was brought to an end.
Lich was behind a now-halted GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $10 million to support the protests in Ottawa.
She was arrested Feb. 17, denied bail, but then released from jail on March 7 on the condition she leave Ottawa within 24 hours, refrain from using social media, and having no contact with certain co-organizers.
Chris Barber, another key organizer, was arrested at the same time as Lich but released a day later, under similar conditions.
Until now, Barber faced charges including counselling to commit mischief, counselling to disobey a court order, counselling to obstruct police, and mischief that interferes with the use and enjoyment of property.
Lich was just charged with counselling to commit mischief.
On Thursday, though, the Crown submitted "new information" from Ottawa police, which laid out six charges for each of Barber and Lich.
According to a relaid information document, the two are jointly accused of mischief, counselling mischief, obstructing police, counselling to obstruct police, counselling intimidation, and intimidation by blocking and obstructing one or more highways.
At the Ontario Court of Justice on Thursday, the defence lawyer for Barber and Lich, Diane Magas, said she'd like to review the new information and charges with her clients.
Lich and Barber are both next scheduled to appear in court in April.
Magas said Thursday she'd like to have a bail review to modify the conditions of Lich's social media ban. The Crown, however, said it would be up for the court to decide whether it has jurisdiction to further review the conditions.
King charged with intimidation, obstructing police
King, an Alberta resident and one of the most vocal leaders of the three-week occupation, had been facing four charges stemming from his Feb. 18 arrest, which he livestreamed to thousands of viewers.
Court heard Thursday he now faces new additional charges, bringing the total to 10:
- Two counts of intimidation
- Two counts of obstructing police.
- One count of disobeying a court order.
- One count of counselling intimidation.
King had been previously charged with mischief, counselling to commit mischief, counselling to obstruct police and counselling to disobey a court order. Those charges remain.
He was patched into his hearing Thursday from the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre where he's been held since his bail was denied late last month.
While the Crown argued King was not entitled to another bail hearing, lawyer Cal Rosemond — who had not been retained by King but was in court on his behalf — argued he deserved one, given the "vastly different" nature of the new charges.
King is also now listed as a co-accused with Tyson George Billings, who was arrested on similar charges on the weekend police finally cleared out the occupation.
King's next court appearance is slated for April 4.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-ZLClWEfJk&ab_channel=CBCNews%3ATheNational
Ottawa convoy leaders face new charges, police reveal national security threat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjOOvHutD74&ab_channel=CTVNews
Some Freedom Convoy leaders facing new charges
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/robert-strang-amendment-bill-ns-legislature-1.6396182
Protest law amended to better protect Dr. Robert Strang, health workers in N.S.
In a rare show of unity, MLAs unanimously agree to fast-track creation of 50-metre safe 'bubbles'
Members of the Nova Scotia Legislature unanimously agreed to fast-track a bill introduced Thursday afternoon that will outlaw protests close to the homes of health workers and officials in a decision-making health roles.
The lieutenant-governor signed the bill later in the day, amending the Protecting Access to Health Services Act to create a 50-metre "safe zone" around the homes.
Nova Scotia Justice Minister Brad Johns said a video posted by a protesters this week outside the Fall River, N.S., home of Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang spurred him to ask his staff to draft an amendment to the law passed in the fall.
"It became apparent somebody had to do something," Johns told reporters during a bill briefing at Province House Thursday. He said the move was initiated by the Department of Justice, not Strang.
Police this week charged Jeremy Mitchell MacKenzie, 36, and Morgan May Guptill, 31, with criminal harassment, mischief, harassing phone calls and intimidation of a health professional, following three days of protests outside Strang's home. They are scheduled to appear in court Friday.
Nova Scotia Justice Minister Brad Johns is shown during a news conference in Halifax on Thursday. (Michael Gorman/CBC)
Under the amendment, protests will be outlawed within the 50-metre "bubbles." Violators will face fines that range from $5,000 to $100,000. Hospitals, clinics and other health facilities are currently protected by the law.
"People cannot be allowed to stalk others outside of their homes," said Johns. "Not only are our health-service providers being threatened, harassed and bullied, but so are those who they share a home with, their wives, their children, their husbands, or their significant others.
"They and their loved ones deserve to be protected. It's very un-Nova Scotian."
Turning a bill into law in just a few hours, with almost no debate, is very rare, but Johns defended the move as necessary to safeguard Strang and his family.
"Considering the fact that a number of people showed up three days in a row, I felt it was important to get it passed through so it can take effect immediately," Johns told reporters after the bill passed third and final reading during the first day of the spring sitting.
Opposition on board
Johns said he has no qualms about bypassing the law amendments committee, the part of the law-making process where the public gets its say on proposed legislation.
"I think that the general public will not have an issue with these amendments," he said. "I would think most people would be very supportive of it and understand it.
"I have no issues with that."
Neither did Liberal Party Leader Iain Rankin.
"Not in this case," said Rankin. "In this case it's about safety and if we can prevent people from getting hurt or taking action that they shouldn't, we should do that as soon as possible."
NDP House leader Claudia Chender expressed a similar view.
"I think in this case we were convinced that this bill was required in an expedient manner and that there were active threats being made to officials and that, you know, there was a feeling that there was stronger legislation required to be able to deal with that and keep people safe," said Chender.
She did say that if extending the protective bubbles to thousands of health-care workers has unintended consequences, her party would push the Houston government to make the changes necessary to fix the problem.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/strang-protest-arrests-1.6394251
2 people charged with harassment after protests at Dr. Robert Strang's home
Jeremy MacKenzie 1 of 2 people arrested by Halifax police
The founder of a group that's been described as an American-style militia movement was one of two people arrested Tuesday in relation to recent protests at the home of Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health.
RCMP and Halifax Regional Police said in a news release Wednesday they've charged 36-year-old Jeremy Mitchell MacKenzie of Pictou, N.S., and 31-year-old Morgan May Guptill of Cole Harbour, N.S., with criminal harassment, mischief, harassing phone calls and intimidation of a health professional.
RCMP Const. Guillaume Tremblay said that last charge — intimidation of a health professional — was introduced in January specifically to respond to problems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charges come after three days of protests outside of the Fall River, N.S., home of Dr. Robert Strang that started on Sunday. Strang also said people were prank calling him until 2 a.m. that morning.
Police said they arrested MacKenzie and Guptill on Pleasant Street in the Woodside area of Dartmouth Tuesday evening while protests continued outside of Strang's home. When police informed protestors the pair had been arrested, they left.
"Dr. Strang wishes to pass along his sincere thanks to law enforcement for their action in addressing the incidents taking place outside of his home. As this is now a matter before the courts, he will not be commenting further," Nova Scotia Health Department spokesperson Marla MacInnis said in an email.
MacKenzie and Guptill appeared virtually in Dartmouth provincial court on Wednesday, where the Crown opposed their release from police custody.
They were ordered to remain in custody and a bail hearing has been scheduled for Friday morning in the same court. Both accused are under orders to have no contact with Strang or his family.
Diagolon a white nationalist movement, says prof
MacKenzie is the founder of Diagolon. University of New Brunswick Prof. David Hofmann, who studies far right movements, told CBC News in February the goal of the group is to establish a "diagonal" white nationalist state.
He said those who believe in the Diagolon movement say a civil war is needed to create a new state that would run diagonally from Alaska, through western Canada's provinces, all the way south to Florida. Hofmann also said they hope to accomplish this through violence.
Two of the four southern Alberta men accused of conspiring to murder RCMP officers at the Coutts, Alta., border blockades last month have ties to Diagolon.
Earlier this year, RCMP raided MacKenzie's parents home in Pictou, N.S., and seized several firearms after a video was posted to social media allegedly showing MacKenzie pointing a pistol at another man's head while drunk on whiskey.
According to an application by RCMP for a warrant to search the High Street residence, MacKenzie appeared in the video to be in possession of a "high capacity magazine," a prohibited device.
"The magazine was inserted into a firearm which MacKenzie was handling in a careless manner," the document from Const. David Peck said.
"MacKenzie's actions in the video, and by his own admission to police on January 13, 2022, suggested that MacKenzie was intoxicated at the time the video was captured."
MacKenzie is a veteran with PTSD
The document described MacKenzie as a veteran of the Afghanistan war who has post-traumatic stress disorder. He served in the Canadian military for 14 years.
The video was shot while MacKenzie was at the Iron Mountain Wilderness Cabins in Whycocomagh, N.S., the application said. In the video, MacKenzie appeared to be in a building that looked like a commercial restaurant.
"MacKenzie appeared intoxicated and was waving the firearm around in a reckless manner," it said.
"While waving the firearm around, MacKenzie briefly pointed the firearm at [the man's] head, causing [the man] to flinch, momentarily close his eyes, and moved his head away from the muzzle."
The document said MacKenzie was "quite vocal" during the video, saying things like, "I just go where the gun tells me to go."
He also mentioned "Diagolonoia," which a witness described to police as "an imaginary country made up by MacKenzie" for which he also created a flag.
Outspoken about COVID-19 restrictions
The investigator wrote that MacKenzie claimed he did not recall the events in the video, noting he was "hammered" at the time, which the officer took to mean that he was heavily intoxicated.
"MacKenzie thought the contents of the video were good for a laugh.... MacKenzie denied having any knowledge of the firearm he had been holding," the document said.
MacKenzie was released by police on conditions, including that he not possess any firearms, weapons, ammunition or explosive substances. He is scheduled to appear May 30 in Port Hawkesbury provincial court on a number of firearms-related charges, according to RCMP.
MacKenzie moved to Nova Scotia shortly before Christmas to be closer to his children, who lived in Dartmouth, and prior to that he had been living in Saskatoon, Sask., the search warrant document said.
It appears Guptill, the other person charged in relation to protests outside Strang's home, has been outspoken about COVID-19 restrictions in the past.
A person named Morgan Guptill started a petition at the outset of the pandemic against the province implementing a state of emergency.
A Twitter profile with the name Morgan May also frequently tweets and retweets about protests against COVID-19 restrictions, including one poster saying she was the host of a January rally outside Global News in Halifax titled The Media Is The Virus.
Houston speaks out against protests at Strang's home
On Monday, Premier Tim Houston decried the protest activity at Strang's home and suggested steps could be taken to stop future protests at the homes of public officials.
Last weekend's protest is not the first to take place outside of Strang's home. In September a small group opposed to public health restrictions protested outside of Strang's home. At that time, Houston addressed them in a video telling them to "grow up."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/vautour-kouchibouguac-new-brunswick-park-1.6397961
Mi'kmaw group accuses Vautour family of cultural appropriation in claim to parkland
Family continues to claim right to land in Kouchibouguac National Park, despite eviction notice
The Canadian Press · Posted: Mar 25, 2022 6:03 PM AT
An organization representing Mi'kmaw chiefs in New Brunswick is publicly denouncing the family of the late Jackie Vautour for using their proclaimed 'Acadian Métis heritage as grounds for claiming lands located in Kouchibouguac National Park. (Shane Magee/CBC file photo)
Mi'kmaw chiefs in New Brunswick are speaking out to oppose the land claim by the family of the late Jackie Vautour involving property within Kouchibouguac National Park.
The Vautours have claimed they are Acadian-Métis and have the permission of Steven Augustine, a hereditary chief of the Mi'kmaq Grand Council, to remain on the property on the province's east coast.
In a statement issued Friday, Mi'kmaw chiefs in the province say the Mi'kmaq hold title to the land that includes the park and the rights have not been extended to the Vautour family or to people the Vautours call Acadian-Métis.
"The Mi'kmaq, the Métis National Council and the Societé de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick have all rejected the notion that 'Acadian-Metis' are a distinct Indigenous group," the chiefs wrote.
"For the Vautours to continue to claim they have a right to the lands in Kouchibouguac through the Mi'kmaq is wrong, and it must stop."
The chiefs also say they have seen an increase in the number of individuals and groups claiming aspects of the Mi'kmaw culture in order to advance their own personal interests. They say it is a form of cultural appropriation.
Jackie Vautour staged a 50-year battle against expropriation after the park was created in 1969, living in a cabin without electricity until his death in February 2021.
Parks Canada has written a number of letters to the Vautour family asking them to remove their belongings and leave the park.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the federal Crown agency said it was sticking to a deadline of the end of this month for the Vautours to leave.
Last year, the New Brunswick's Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Jackie Vautour that was based on his claim to represent more than 100 people of Métis Acadian Mi'kmaw background seeking title to the park area under the Canadian Constitution.
The federal and provincial government argued the case was an attempt to re-litigate something decided by courts as high as the Supreme Court of Canada.
Vautour's son Edmond says the family still has legal options and is waiting now for a court hearing on some issues.
Edmond Vautour, the son of Jackie Vautour, insists the matter of the land is still before the courts and no action should be taken until it's decided on by a judge. (Shane Magee/CBC)
"The court needs to decide, and not them," Vautour said in an interview Friday after the chiefs issued their statement. "Let's go to court and let the proof be on the table, and a decision will be rendered."
Vautour questioned the timing of the statement from the chiefs.
"Why would those chiefs say such a thing right now when we are so close to having a hearing on the matter? Why are they doing this now? What are they afraid of?"
Vautour said the chiefs need to think the impact of their position on his nieces and nephews, who consider themselves Mi'kmaq.
Vautour and others plan to hold a protest march at the entrance to the park on Saturday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh1sG4tAPwQ&ab_channel=APTNNews
Protest organizer Tamara Lich produces membership card for Métis Nation of Alberta | APTN News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUXJAI3l2hA&ab_channel=APTNNews
Genealogist says more information needed on whether Tamara Lich is Métis | APTN News
Genealogist says more information needed on whether Tamara Lich is Métis
A genealogist who has been looking into whether Tamara Lich’s claims of being Métis says more information is needed before knowing.
Lich, who was charged with mischief in Ottawa as a leader of the truckers convoy that clogged the streets of Ottawa for more than three weeks, says she is.
“As far as I can remember I always identified as [I]ndigenous spiritually,” Lich says in bail documents filed in court. “I have attended smudging and sweat lodge ceremonies and retreats from time to time to nourish my [I]ndigenous spiritual growth.”
But genealogist Gail Morin says she couldn’t find any information to tie Lich back to a community.
“Tamara didn’t grow up in a Métis community, neither did her parents, or neither did her grandparents.”
Questions about Lich’s Indigenous identity and screenshots of her genealogy have been circulating online.
In court documents, Lich is unequivocal about her identity.
“I am a card-carrying member of the Métis Nation of Alberta,” she says.
The documents state that she is originally from Saskatoon – adopted by a white family.
She says her biological maternal grandmother was Cree – and her grandfather was Métis.
The Métis Nation of Alberta wouldn’t confirm – or deny – that Lich holds a membership card citing privacy laws.
If the court accepts Lich’s Indigeneity, she could ask for a Gladue report, a detailed biography of her life that would have to be considered by a judge when it comes time for sentencing.
Morin said she wouldn’t be able to confirm Lich is Métis without knowing the name of her grandparents.
APTN reached out to Lich’s lawyer but didn’t receive a response back.
Lich is currently on bail and banned from coming back to Ottawa to protest.
Editors Note: The court documents referenced in the story spell Indigenous with a lower case i. Generally court documents are presented as written, but APTN News has replaced the lower case i with [I] in keeping with our policy to capitalize Indigenous.
Tamara Pimentel
Emerging Journalist:
Tamara Pimentel Portfolio Submission
Tamara Pimentel is Métis from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She found a love for visual storytelling while taking a broadcast course in high school. In 2013, she graduated from the Interactive Media Arts program at Assiniboine Community College where she specialized in videography and video editing.
Pimentel worked as a shooter for CBC in Winnipeg, MB and Iqaluit, NU before being hired by APTN in Saskatoon, SK. In 2016 she was promoted to Video Journalist and was given a temporary position in Saskatoon. Our management team was deeply impressed with her curiosity, talent and ability to add reporting to her established technical skills. In 2017 she was assigned to open a bureau in Calgary, AB, where she currently works. She has covered important stories such as the impacts of the Kinder Morgan Pipeline and the protest in Standing Rock, North Dakota.
Tamara has done work with Journalism for Human Rights where she spent a month in Hollow Water, Manitoba passing her knowledge down to future journalists. She also took part as an instructor at the First Nations University of Canada’s Indian Communication Arts Certificate program. She has also presented on environmental reporting at NASH, the annual gathering of Canada’s student journalists.
The portfolio below includes some examples of her work from 2018.
Her stories cover a cross-section of Indigenous life in Calgary and the surrounding area. She writes, shoots and edits all of her material.
https://twitter.com/Tamara_APTN/with_replies?lang=en
Calgary, Albertaaptn.ca/news Joined October 2016
https://www.aptnnews.ca/news-team/
Angel MooreVideo Journalist / Halifaxhttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-convoy-protest-regrets-1.6394502
'I regret going': Protester says he spent life savings to support Freedom Convoy
No 'stance' on vaccine mandates, but used own money to help protesters, man says
A protester who joined the so-called Freedom Convoy, which occupied downtown Ottawa for much of February, says he regrets taking part after he lost $13,000 and his home protesting something he never really "had a stance on."
"I regret going,'' said Martin Joseph Anglehart, who spoke to CBC via Zoom from Hope, B.C.
Anglehart said he has "nothing left" after spending his life savings on gas and food for the occupiers, who disrupted Ottawa's downtown core for more than three weeks.
"I started delivering fuel and picking up laundry. Everything for the truckers."
From Jan. 28 to Feb. 14, bank statements provided to CBC show Anglehart transferred thousands of dollars and spent thousands more at a gas station near Coventry Road — where he was stationed for the majority of the protest.
Anglehart is currently living out of his SUV, as he said his landlord kicked him out over his "point of view" concerning the protest.
Martin Joseph Anglehart speaks to CBC via Zoom from inside his SUV, which he says is his current home. (CBC News)
'Never had a stance on mandates'
Anglehart said he's unable to access his account because it remains frozen. More than 250 accounts linked to people and businesses involved in convoy protests were frozen after the Emergencies Act was invoked.
Millions of dollars were donated through online crowd fundraisers, but Anglehart said he never saw a cent.
Anglehart admits he never had "a stance on mandates" but felt drawn to the movement after he was prevented from visiting a dying friend at a Montreal hospital in June 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions.
After hearing about the convoy to Ottawa, he closed his web development business in January and left his home in Fort McKay, Alta.
"[We] merged with a convoy around Medicine Hat," said Anglehart, "I thought that [it] was a cause that was bigger than me. And I thought … it was worth the effort to go."
Bank statements provided to CBC show thousands of dollars sent via electronic transfer, and thousands more spent at truck stops. (Martin Joseph Anglehart)
Illegal occupation
On Feb. 11, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared the protest an "illegal occupation."
Four days later, Anglehart said he was arrested for delivering fuel to truckers. He was soon released on conditions that he leave Ottawa immediately.
Anglehart's Dodge Caravan was also seized. It remains impounded and Anglehart says he can't afford the costs to get it back.
While feelings of regret take over, there are also feelings of contrition.
"I would like to apologize to [the] people in Ottawa," said Anglehart. "I'm sorry … All I wanted was to help people."
Anglehart said he was arrested on Feb.15 for delivering fuel to truckers. He said police handed him this offence notice, and was told to leave Ottawa. (Martin Joseph Anglehart)
'Cost for participating'
When hearing Anglehart's story, University of Ottawa law professor Joao Velloso said he was not surprised.
Velloso conducted his research on the ground in Ottawa during the entirety of the occupation. He was examining the anthropological and sociological aspect of the protest.
"You may have people that [were] seeking a sense of community," said Velloso. " Everybody was tired of the pandemic … And you see people for the first time in two years … I can totally understand that."
But there is a cost, he warned.
A screen grab of text messages show Anglehart's plea for repayment. (Martin Joseph Anglehart)
"We are not talking about people with a lot of resources," he said, "They have their trucks, they have some funds … [but] the vast majority of the protesters …[were] middle class, sometimes low middle class."
Velloso also points to the $300 million class-action lawsuit against protesters launched by downtown Ottawa residents and businesses.
He said it could bankrupt those named in the suit. When it comes down to all the donations, it's hard to track down where all the money went, said Velloso.
"Not all of the people that were there received the money that some organizers received," he said. "We have no idea if there was dark money to that in the sense that other sources of funding that we don't know."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yet CTV claims the lonely dude is back in Ontario and getting famous
Protestor regretful over involvement with 'Freedom Convoy' movement in downtown Ottawa
More than a month after the so-called Freedom Convoy occupied downtown Ottawa, one protestor says he feels regretful over taking part.
Martin Joseph Anglehart says he spent all of his life savings helping people with the convoy, and is now living out of his vehicle near Kenora, Ont.
Anglehart says he only joined because he wanted to feel part of something after months of feeling lonely.
"I’m still as alone as I was two months ago," said the 41-year-old from his car. "I still don’t have friends and I still don’t have family. I’m living in the back of a fricken car, so yah, I regret going."
Anglehart joined the convoy in Medicine Hat, Alta., where he then travelled to Ottawa in January.
He said he spent more than $13,000, his entire life savings.
Anglehart wasn’t passionate about the cause, but joined the convoy because he was upset that he wasn’t able to say goodbye to his closest friend in hospital because of pandemic restrictions, who later died of cancer.
"Loneliness was one of the worst things for me," Anglehart said.
After arriving in the nation’s capital, he wanted to help and quickly got involved in transferring thousands of dollars in cash for occupiers, as well as purchasing food and fuel.
"They said we need gas, we need to keep the truck going," he said. “They said keep your receipt and we will put it with the sheets and I said ok."
He was hopeful that he would be reimbursed from crowd-sourcing platforms, but that never happened.
Text messages provided by Anglehart show some of the exchanges, where he writes, "Appreciate it. I emptied my Paypal. I should have more money coming in. I spent all my savings.”
Then the worry set in, as he wrote in a text message, "I put in all my savings so far. Just worried.”
Anglehart says he was arrested on Feb. 15 for delivering fuel.
"I was given a piece of paper that said I had to be outside the radius of Ottawa and I left, the day before my account got frozen," he said.
He now wants to apologize to the residents of Ottawa for his involvement.
"I’m sorry to the people of Ottawa,” he said. "You had to endure all the horns and all the weirdos."
He is working to rebuild his life, as his bank account remains frozen.
'I regret going': Protester says he spent life savings to support Freedom Convoy
'I regret going': Protester says he spent life savings to support Freedom Convoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZhDCj2sUhc&ab_channel=CBCNews%3ATheNational
Prominent protest convoy organizers make court appearances
https://www.southpeacenews.com/freedom-george-arrested-in-ottawa-as-part-of-of-police-crackdown/
‘Freedom George’ arrested in Ottawa as part of of police crackdown
Chris Clegg
South Peace News
A High Prairie man billing himself as ‘Freedom George’ found himself behind bars Feb. 19 as part of a police crackdown on Freedom Convoy 2022.
The Ottawa Police Service arrested Tyson George Billings, 44, and charged him with mischief, counselling to commit the offence of mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobeying court order [Section 127], obstructing police, and counselling to commit the offence of obstructing police.
Billings appeared in court Feb. 20.
Billings is in Ottawa supporting the trucker’s protest against mandatory vaccinations. In an interview published in the Feb. 16 South Peace News, Billings says he has no intention of returning home until the cause is successful.
He arrived in Ottawa Jan. 29 with thousands of truckers to protest the mandatory vaccinations imposed on the industry.
“I get called Freedom George, that’s what they call me,” says Billings.
“I’m here until it’s over,” he adds. “I didn’t come across the country for nothing.
“We want our county back and we will do it peacefully,” says Billings
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No bail for Freedom George
Tyson George Billings of High Prairie, Alta., will remain in an Ottawa jail while waiting to answer to charges concerning his role in the three-week protest that debilitated the core of the national capital.
Billings, 44, was arrested Feb. 19, on the second day of a large-scale police operation to disperse the protests that had created gridlock in downtown Ottawa.
Demonstrators, protesting the Liberal government and COVID-19 restrictions, blocked roads, drove slowly down Ottawa highways, and blasted the core with noise from truck horns for days on end.
Billings has been charged with mischief, counselling to commit mischief, counselling to disobey a court order, obstructing police and counselling to obstruct police.
Ontario Justice Donna Hackett issued a publication ban on the evidence and reasons for her ruling but said she was not satisfied that Billings should be released on bail.
Billings, nicknamed "Freedom George" by fellow demonstrators in Ottawa, livestreamed his participation in the protests over several days.
He sat in the courtroom wearing a black hoodie, the word “Freedom” printed on the chest, with his head in his hands at one point as Hackett delivered her decision.
He's the latest key organizer for the freedom convoy protest to be denied bail.
Tamara Lich, who served as the public face of the convoy, was ordered to remain behind bars last week and have no contact with other main figures in the protest — Pat King, Benjamin Dichter, Christopher Barber and Daniel Bulford.
Lich's lawyers plan to appeal her denial of bail at a hearing Wednesday.
King, a close associate of Billings, was denied bail on Friday, when Justice of the Peace Andrew Seymour said the evidence painted a portrait of an individual with clear intent to continue his protest.
King was also ordered not to communicate with fellow organizers, including Billings.
Barber was arrested and released on bail.
As of Feb. 21, Ottawa police had charged more than 120 people with a combined 393 offences in connection with the protests.
Meanwhile an Ontario court has extended to March 9 a freezing order on funds donated to the Ottawa protest, as a class-action civil suit against organizers continues.
Parties in the case have agreed to move some donated funds and cryptocurrency into escrow, which could be redistributed to affected Ottawa residents and business owners should the class action succeed.
Norman Groot, a lawyer representing some convoy protest leaders, says Christopher Garrah, Benjamin Dichter and Nicholas St. Louis have agreed in principle to moving donated funds within their control to an escrow account.
Groot notes the funds that Garrah, Dichter and St. Louis have agreed to move to escrow might not account for all the cryptocurrency that was donated, and he proposed parties meet next week to take stock of what has been transferred.
An escrow agent will oversee the transferred funds, and will be permitted to change the passwords for cryptocurrency.
The class-action lawsuit seeks a total of $306 million in damages related to the three-week anti-government convoy protest near Parliament Hill that snarled traffic, shut businesses and plagued residents with near-constant honking.
RCMP investigating after racist rant outside Kelowna vaccine clinic caught on video
Security guard says he is heartened by the messages of support he has received since the video emerged
The RCMP are investigating an incident at a vaccine clinic in Kelowna, B.C., after video surfaced showing an anti-vaccine protestor unleashing a racist rant toward a security guard in a parking lot on Tuesday.
The video was taken by a reporter Cali Berry with iNFOnews who was covering a protest by about 10 people outside the Trinity Church Baptist Church where the vaccine clinic was being held.
One of the protestors, Bruce Orydzuk, is seen shouting at a security guard, telling him to "go back to your country" as he records the interaction himself with a small video camera.
"You're disgusting. You're not a Canadian. Go back to India.... We don't want you here," Orydzuk yells during the exchange.
The video has been viewed by thousands of people with many calling out the behaviour seen in the video, including B.C. Premier John Horgan who called it "vile" and "racist."
Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran said he felt "angry, frustrated and disheartened for the security guard" when he saw the video.
"I would say that he did a great job and I hope he doesn't get discouraged because this is not the view of the majority of people who live in Kelowna, or in British Columbia or in Canada. This is just an isolated incident by someone who has a track record of behaving that way." Basran said.
Orydzuk is one of a core group of people in Kelowna who have led protests against mask wearing, vaccines and restrictions meant to protect people against COVID-19.
The Kelowna RCMP said Thursday investigators are looking into the parking lot incident.
"We are investigating this through the lens of willful promotion of hatred which is section 319 under the Criminal Code, and we are taking this very seriously " said Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy.
"This is, in no way, what the people of Kelowna or the Kelowna RCMP want to see in our community. It's not acceptable in any way."
The man on the receiving end of the abuse is Anmol Singh, a security guard with Paladin Security who only recently started working with the company.
Kelowna 'mega rally' draws about 250 protesters against public health orders to combat COVID-19
Head of Kelowna RCMP defends handling of protests opposing COVID-19 restrictions
When reached by CBC News on Thursday, Singh described the abuse as the worst he's experienced during the four years he has lived in Canada.
"These are things I felt were really painful," he said. "I was totally upset all day, all night. I couldn't sleep."
Singh says many people have contacted him online with messages of support, which he appreciates.
"It's overwhelming. I have never had this experience in the past," he said. "I am getting support from all over, so it makes me feel good about it."
In a written statement a spokesperson for Paladin Security said Singh "displayed professionalism, courage and calmness in a very distressing situation, and we will be recognizing his actions and outstanding service."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
https://twitter.com/carliberry_?lang=en
Alleged threats to reporter
A Kelowna man made infamous by a racist tirade he unleashed on a security guard outside a vaccine clinic is facing criminal charges related to a separate incident.
Bruce Orydzuk, 60, has been charged with uttering threats for an incident on Aug. 26, 2021. Court documents name a Global Okanagan reporter as the alleged victim.
In a statement, the Kelowna RCMP says the complaint was made to them that same day.
“The male suspect was identified and the investigative findings were submitted for review of potential criminal charges,” police said.
The charge was approved by prosecutors on March 3. Orydzuk will make his first appearance in Kelowna court on April 14.
Orydzuk has been one of the most dedicated COVID protesters in the city for some time now. He often travels with a GoPro camera and uploads videos of himself harassing journalists and others he opposes to social media.
He made national headlines in July 2021 when he was videotaped yelling at a South Asian security guard outside a vaccine clinic at Trinity Church.
“You're not a Canadian, you are disgusting. Go back to your country," Orydzuk yelled at the security guard, who had stepped in to protect an InfoNews reporter who was covering the protest outside the clinic.
The Kelowna RCMP investigated the incident and forwarded the file to Crown prosecutors, who have not laid charges.
Kelowna's last mask dispute
One of the leaders of Kelowna's anti-COVID restrictions movement, David Lindsay caused a scene at Kelowna City Hall Thursday morning.
According to City of Kelowna bylaw services manager Kevin Mead, Lindsay attended city hall to dispute bylaw notices he's been issued in relation to regular downtown protests.
"We do have an administrative justice process, by which a provincially appointed adjudicator presides over the evidence that's been presented as part of the bylaw offence notice," Mead said.
Mead says Lindsay was offered several different options to settle his dispute, including a virtual hearing, but he chose to attend city hall in person. When he arrived for his appointment he refused to comply with the mask policy and security guards prevented Lindsay from entering the building.
"The disputant has on multiple occasions refused to put on a mask. He's a known vexatious litigant deemed by the court with multiple other legal actions in process right now," Mead says.
Once Lindsay was denied entry to city hall he became agitated and called the RCMP.
"By virtue of denying him entry, he accused the City of Kelowna security and one of our staff of obstructing justice under the Criminal Code and declared that he was putting our staff under citizen's arrest," Mead said. "He then called the RCMP."
The province announced on Thursday that mask mandates in the province will lift at midnight, meaning this morning's incident at city hall could be one of Kelowna's last mask disputes.
Castanet reached out to Lindsay for comment, but he has not responded.
Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Tammy Lobb confirmed they attended city hall for a "disturbance... and spoke to all parties involved. There were no arrests and no charges as result."
Mead says staff and security were well aware of Lindsay's appointment and he says they were prepared.
"It wasn't unexpected. We were quite well prepared for Mr. Lindsay and, very confident that we satisfied (or exceeded) all legal requirements under all the applicable legislation."
Mead tells Castanet the entire incident took place outside city hall and lasted for about 20 minutes.
"He had another cohort there that was videotaping as well, which, I'm sure will show up on a Facebook page somewhere," Mead said.
Lindsay is currently facing two assault charges against security guards stemming from a protest outside the Interior Health building on Doyle Avenue last August. A warrant was issued for his arrest last month when he failed to show up to his court date, but he has since appeared in court, and the warrant is no longer in effect.
He's next scheduled to appear in Kelowna court on the charges on March 17.
Kelowna
Address:
455 Lawrence Avenue
Kelowna, BC Canada V1Y 6L6
Tel: 250-860-5050
Director of Content - Colin Dacre 
colin@castanet.net(ext 128)
Central Okanagan News Director - Rob Gibson
rgibson@castanet.net(ext 135)
Kelowna anti-mask protest leader has long profited off conspiracy theorists, rubbed shoulders with white nationalists
When hundreds of people gather in Kelowna’s Stuart Park each week to protest COVID-19 restrictions, it’s a familiar group of faces who take the microphone.
But no face is more familiar than David Kevin Lindsay, the man who has been leading Kelowna’s anti-mask and anti-lockdown movement since its infancy.
While COVID-19 is less than a year old, this is familiar territory for Lindsay, who for decades previously made a name for himself within fringe groups by arguing that taxes are unconstitutional.
Lindsay has lost dozens of civil and criminal court cases and has been declared a vexatious litigant in B.C., meaning he cannot initiate a lawsuit without a judge’s permission. He has served prison time for failing to pay taxes.
Previously, he charged for access to his seminars on how to challenge tax law and at one time advertised himself as “Canada's foremost freedom expert on the secrets of laying criminal charges against government officials.”
It is a business model he had adopted to cater to COVID-19 conspiracies, charging $25 for an online seminar on Sunday where he promised to provide “today’s answer to the COVID-19 insanity.”
One of Canada's top gurus of 'Organized Pseudolegal Commercial Arguments'
Lindsay was profiled in Meads vs. Meads, a 2012 ruling from the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, which was an unprecedented 736-paragraph decision from a judge that has acted as a guide for courts across the country on how to deal with “Organized Pseudolegal Commercial Arguments.”
The judgment lists Lindsay one of Canada’s top OPCA “gurus,” a prominent member of the OPCA community who sells their ideas in seminars or acts as an agent in court to make bogus arguments to avoid paying taxes, child support or paying speeding tickets. Lindsay, while not a lawyer, represented dozens of people in court making such arguments.
“This is a business where secret ‘cheat codes’ and ‘get out of jail free’ cards are marketed to a gullible, often conspiracy-driven, customer base,” wrote Donald Netolitzky, complex litigant management counsel for the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, in the Alberta Law Review about OPCA gurus generally.
At an anti-mask and anti-lockdown event in the summer, Lindsay was introduced as appearing in court more than 300 times in seven provinces.
Court appearances for tax evasion; drives without licence, registration, or insurance
When he was hauled into court in 2008 after not filing a tax return in more than a decade, he tried to argue that Queen Elizabeth II did not correctly complete her coronation oath in 1953, resulting in a lack of constitutional authority in Canada’s Parliament and, as a result, the Income Tax Act.
He also unsuccessfully challenged the authority of the judge and demanded to cross examine him.
Lindsay was sentenced to 150 days in jail and fined $5,000. The BC Court of Appeal would lower the sentence to 30 days in jail while maintaining the fine. He tried to take the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, but the court refused to hear it.
He would serve 60 days in jail in December 2012 for failing to follow the ensuing court order requiring him to file his taxes for the years 1997-2001.
Lindsay has also attempted to argue in court that the relationship between the state and a person is a contract that can be opted out of and that an aspect of the 1931 Statute of Westminster meant all post-1931 government legislation and action is unauthorized.
When he was caught driving without a driver’s licence, without insurance, and without displaying proper licence plates in 2001, he tried to argue that King John’s Magna Carta of 1215 supersedes modern law.
Lindsay started his OPCA activities in the late 1990s in Manitoba, but eventually settled in the B.C. Interior where he became “ubiquitous” in the detaxer movement and founded his “Common Law Education And Rights” (CLEAR) Initiative."
Under that brand he has hosted and charged for entrance to seminars on how to “avoid being a natural person,” on how “all taxes are voluntary” and “how to file criminal charges when the police won’t.” COVID-19 is just the latest seminar topic for Lindsay under the CLEAR banner.
Spreading misinformation about COVID-19 in B.C.
It’s under that same brand that Lindsay has spread pamphlets across the Okanagan containing misinformation related to COVID-19, held protests at news outlets and outside schools, and become the leader of weekly anti-lockdown rallies in Stuart Park.
The Kelowna RCMP says it issued the organizer of Saturday’s large downtown protest a $2,300 ticket. Longtime ally of Lindsay and white nationalist, Paul Fromm, identified Lindsay as the receiver of the penalty on his website Sunday night. Lindsay confirmed Monday he received the ticket, suggesting he will fight the penalty in court.
Fromm has appeared at multiple of Lindsay’s rallies in Stuart Park, promoting them on his channels and attending early in the movement when they attracted just a few dozen people.
Lindsay’s association to Fromm is not new. Lindsay was one of many fringe characters who travelled to Quesnel to attend the 2015 trial of Arthur Topham, who was convicted of communicating online statements that wilfully promoted hatred against Jewish people.
Outside the Quesnel courthouse, Lindsay complained to Fromm in an interview about the routine searches of attendees carried out by sheriffs at the courthouse, falsely claiming they were illegal.
With several hundred people from across the B.C. Interior attending the last few Kelowna anti-lockdown rallies, the views of Fromm — one of the Canada's most prominent white nationalists — do not reflect the vast majority of attendees. But Lindsay has refused to answer questions on his relationship with Fromm.
"As you can see, there are a significant amount of angry people in relation to the COVID CON," said Lindsay in a lengthy email to Castanet that attacked the provincial statistics on COVID-19 as "completely false and misleading" while threatening additional protests at Castanet's Kelowna offices.
"For every person in attendance, there are many thousands not in attendance due to fear of losing their jobs and other public retribution and fear for their families. Canadians are living in fear of the state – that is not freedom – that is tyranny," Lindsay continued.
"What you should be focusing upon is the nature and accuracy of the information we possess (as do many others) that confirms that there is no pandemic," he said, while rejecting the term "conspiracy theorist."
Focus on anti-mask, anti-lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic
Lindsay also refused to answer questions about whether he now files taxes, or if he will return to the detaxer movement when the pandemic ends.
Most of Lindsay’s speeches at anti-mask and anti-lockdown rallies remain focused on the pandemic rather than his previous legal adventures, but some of his followers remain under the impression that he is a lawyer.
“The man David Lindsay, the head of C.L.E.A.R. in Kelowna, is a lawyer – by the sounds of it a really good one,” said one of Saturday’s rally attendees, Marjorie Paulson, on Twitter. “A wealth of knowledge and information is on our side.”
While he may be very familiar with the inside of a courtroom, the BC Court of Appeal ruled in 2007 when it declared Lindsay a vexatious litigant “that almost all of the applications Mr. Lindsay has made on his own behalf have been without any merit and so found by the courts who have considered them.”
Read more from Castanet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Radler
David Radler
F. David Radler (born 1944 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian executive active in finance and news media. Radler was once president of Ravelston Corporation, a privately owned corporation owned by Conrad Black and Radler to control their former newspaper empire. Ravelston owned Argus Corporation which in turn controlled Chicago-based Hollinger International. In 2005, 14.1% of Ravelston was owned by Radler.
Career
Radler graduated from Queen's University in 1967 with a master's degree in Business Administration.[1] In the 1980s Radler was in charge of the sale of Argus Corporation's Dominion supermarket chain to The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, or A&P. As well, Radler was once based in Chicago to help Black's media business—managed under Chicago-based Hollinger International) in the United States—as publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper and president and chief operating officer of Hollinger International.
Controversy
 | This article needs to be updated.(April 2009) |
After buying up the London Daily Telegraph, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Jerusalem Post, the Southam chain of Canadian newspapers and hundreds of small American newspapers, Hollinger International began to suffer from financial strain in the late 1990s. Radler and Black then sold off hundreds of their Canadian and American newspapers. Radler, who has lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, since the early 1970s, created a company called Horizon Publications Inc. This bought up some of the American newspapers owned by Hollinger International.
After controversy developed in 2003–2004 concerning $32,000,000 of 'non-compete' payments made to Black and Radler in the sale of Hollinger newspapers, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (and Canadian authorities as well) announced that Black and Radler were under investigation for their involvement.
Radler was eventually charged with five counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud. On 20 September 2005, Radler pleaded guilty in a Chicago court to one count of mail fraud in relation to the 'non-compete' payments.
These payments had been diverted by Radler to a company controlled by himself and Black, Horizon Publications Inc. By disguising the payments as 'non-compete' payments, non-sales proceeds, Radler took advantage of a Canadian tax ruling that made them tax-exempt. The prosecution argued that these moneys belonged to Hollinger International, and had been improperly and secretly diverted to Black and Radler. Radler was sentenced to a fine of $250,000 and a term of 29 months in prison. He had been assisting the prosecution in the investigation of his former business partner. Black is currently being tried on the many charges; his trial began in Chicago in March 2007. Patrick Fitzgerald is the lead prosecutor in the Black case, and Black is represented by a legal team which includes Toronto lawyer Edward Greenspan.
In the fall of 2005, the Board of Trustees of Queen's University, Radler's alma mater,[2] directed that Mr. Radler’s name be immediately removed from the building wing of their business school that had been named after him, and his personal donation was returned. Subsequently, the university discovered that returning charitable gifts is impossible under Canada Revenue Agency regulations, which prevented the return of the donations from the various media companies. To make matters more complex, some of the companies themselves were no longer in operation, and others did not wish the gift returned in any case. While the board’s ethical decision was rightly lauded, the complexities of the gift, and the uncertainty about the rules at the time, created lingering confusion. After careful consideration and in consultation with Osprey Media (which now owned many of the companies that had made the original donations), it was agreed that in spirit Queen’s had returned the gift and Osprey had made an equivalent donation; Osprey is now recognized on the wall of the business school at the level of the donation. It was widely reported at the time that a Toronto hospital had no intention of returning Conrad Black's financial gift. This prompted some to question the wisdom of Queen's returning David Radler's generous donation. The business school, for its part, explained that the charge that Mr Radler had pleaded guilty to was "very serious" and not congruent with the values of the school and those it teaches.
On 18 March 2007, it was reported that Mr. Radler had signed a settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that will see him pay a penalty of almost US$29 million and prevent him from acting as an officer or director of any public company in the United States. The next day, it was announced that Mr. Radler has settled with the Sun-Times Media Group, agreeing to pay them $64.1 million. The news of the SEC settlement sparked protest from the defence at the Conrad Black trial; the defence claimed that such news would negatively influence the jury.
Radler started serving his 29-month sentence for fraud on 25 February 2008 by reporting to Moshannon Valley Correctional Center in Pennsylvania. He was transferred to FCI Ray Brook in Upstate New York and was turned over to Canadian authorities on 18 September 2008. He was paroled from Ferndale Institution in Mission, British Columbia on 15 December 2008. [3]He served only 10 months of a 29-month sentence. He was released on the grounds that he was unlikely to "commit an offence involving violence" before his sentence expired. The board said it was limited to considering only the matter of physical violence and could not consider the financial devastation caused by his crimes or the many victims of these crimes left in its wake.[4] Mr. Radler is now back at work in his office in Vancouver running his business, the Alberta Newspaper Group.[3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_Newspaper_Group
Most of the newspapers that currently make up Alta and Continental were purchased from The Thomson Corporation between 1999 and 2001 by Horizon, a family of companies owned by David Radler and Conrad Black, independently from Radler's and Black's roles as COO and CEO, respectively, of Hollinger Inc. During the 2000s, both men were convicted of defrauding Hollinger and served time in prison;[1] Black sold his interest in Horizon in 2006;[2] and Radler organized his Canadian holdings into two companies, including a limited partnership for his two Alberta dailies and associated weeklies.
The chain, originally called Southern Alberta Newspapers and renamed Alta Group Newspapers, consisted of the former Thomson dailies Lethbridge Herald and Medicine Hat News, and a group of weeklies covering suburban and rural communities in the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat area. The oldest of the weeklies was The Taber Times, which dated to 1907 and had built the chain in the 1970s before being bought out by Hollinger and then Thomson.
In the mid-2000s, Alta purchased three weeklies in southwestern Saskatchewan, and in 2006 it acquired The Record of Sherbrooke, Quebec, from Glacier Media, which took an ownership interest in Alta. Radler noted that The Record was a nostalgic purchase: it was the first newspaper that he and Black owned, back in 1969.[3]
The company has not made any major acquisitions since 2006, although it has bought out biweekly newspapers that competed with its dailies in Lethbridge[4] and Sherbrooke.[1]
Ownership
As a private company, Alta Newspaper Group is not required to publish an annual report, and Radler has been "tight-lipped" about its ownership structure, telling reporters that he is "a shareholder" in the company but declining to specify how much he owns.[2][3] Alta was formed, however, out of a subsidiary of Horizon Publications Inc.,[5] a company acknowledged to have been owned and operated primarily by Radler.[6]
In 2006, as part of the deal that added The Record to Alta's holdings, Vancouver-based publisher Glacier Media took a 50% share in Alta. It later increased its ownership share to 59%. Glacier is also part-owner of two other newspaper companies connected with Radler, Continental Newspapers and RISN Operations.[7] Sam Grippo, Glacier's chairman of the board, was a group publisher at Hollinger during Radler's time as chief operating officer.[8]
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2022 23:15:43 -0300
Subject: RE City Of Kelowna vs. Marcel Irnie
To: marcel@irnieracing.com, mayorandcouncil@kelowna.ca,
Conrad.Erbes@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, Kara.Triance@rcmp-grc.gc.ca,
"Brenda.Lucki"<Brenda.Lucki@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, premier
<premier@gov.bc.ca>, jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca,
Tracy.Gray@parl.gc.ca, "Marco.Mendicino"<Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>,
Kelowna_Media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, Newsroom <Newsroom@globeandmail.com>,
csr@ok.bc.ca, city.desk@ok.bc.ca, "steve.murphy"
<steve.murphy@ctv.ca>, sheilagunnreid <sheilagunnreid@gmail.com>, Dave
Steenburg <davesteenburg269@gmail.com>, "stefanos.karatopis"
<stefanos.karatopis@gmail.com>
Mayor Colin Basran
250-469-8980
mayorandcouncil@kelowna.ca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
City Of Kelowna vs. Marcel Irnie Pt.5 "Conrad Erbes"#IrnieracingNews
#hadtocallthecopsonthepolice #Freedomconvoy #canadianflag
#freedomfighter #discrimination #kelownabc #january292022
#irnieracingnews #trucktrudeau #freedomconvoy #Canadarevolution
#truckerconvoyCanada #worldwiderallyforfreedom #mandatefreedom
#trudeauhiding #truckerconvoy #FreedomProtesters #antifapolice
The 3.5hr targeted harassment documentary footage will all go public
and Constable Erbes will be held accountable.
It is also probable Const. Erbes knew exactly who I was before hand
and purposely harassed me based of my recent viral Kelowna Freedom
Rally YouTube videos.
(NEW) Irnieracing RUMBLE Channel: https://rumble.com/user/
Support Marcel Irnie's 2023 Superbike Effort!
Paypal: http://paypal.me/irnieracing
Etransfer: irnieracing@hotmail.com
AMSOIL Dealer: http://irnieracing.shopAMSOIL.
Patreon: http://Patreon.com/irnieracing
Apparel: teespring.com/stores/
IG: http://Instagram.com/
IrnieracingNews Telegram Group: https://t.me/irnieracingnews
2nd Irnieracing Channel: http://youtube.com/
IrnieracingNews Test Channel: https://www.youtube.com/
Irnieracing RUMBLE Channel: https://rumble.com/user/
Irnieracing GETTR: http://gettr.com/user/
#Superbikewanderer - Marcel Irnie travelling track to track to teach
Rider Training and Race Motorcycles. Roaming with a 2009 Duramax LMM
dually, carrying a 06' Northern Lite 10.2, pulling a 16' race trailer
with BMW S1000RR Merlin, Ninja 400 Motoko, KTM 300xc TPI Acme Moto and
a Polaris RS1 named RYzen.
Learn how to ride Faster/Safer with Marcel Irnie's Online
RiderTraining Program.
Rider Training Testimonials: https://www.youtube.com/
Inquire about Sponsorship, RiderTraining, Kelowna Tours, AMSOIL
Synthetics, Schuberth Helmets, Irnieracing Gloves and Parts contact
marcel@irnieracing.com (Please do not email random news. Only first
hand News Tips & original video footage wanted.)
2,527 Comments
David Amos
Say Hoka Hey to Conrad Erbes for me will ya?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
David Amos
Too Too Funny
David Amos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.facebook.com/
Phone (250) 869-2515
https://www.
Mounties lower flag on 55 years at detachment on Doyle Avenue
Ron Seymour Jun 27, 2017
An RCMP parade covered just 750 metres Tuesday in Kelowna, but it
symbolized a move 55 years in the making that came at a cost of $48
million.
Two dozen members in red serge marched from the Doyle Avenue
detachment, built in 1962, to a new police services building at the
corner of Clement Avenue and Richter Street.
“It was time for a new building with proper working conditions for the
RCMP,” Mayor Colin Basran said during opening ceremonies for the new
100,000-square-foot detachment.
The Maple Leaf flag outside the Doyle Avenue detachment was lowered
and carried to the new one, where it was put into storage rather than
hoisted again.
“In preserving the flag, we pay our respects to those who served the
city in the past,” Kelowna RCMP Supt. Brent Mundle told the large
crowd of police, retired officers, city officials and interested
members of the public who attended the opening ceremony.
A new flag was raised by Const. Conrad Erbes, the newest member of the
Kelowna RCMP, who joined the detachment on June 15.
Jim Stuart, mayor of Kelowna from 1986 to 1996, was on hand for the
event, as were two former Kelowna RCMP detachment commanders, Dave
Roseberry and Bill McKinnon.
Although the old detachment had been expanded and modernized several
times over the years, it was considered too small and not equipped
with state-of-the-art facilities.
“I heard many a tale of mice in the building and other (poor) working
conditions,” said Brenda Butterworth-Carr, commanding officer for the
RCMP in B.C.
Before the ceremony, Westbank First Nation elder Wilfred Barnes
performed a cleansing ceremony “to clear the space of negative energy
and bless the building,” those in attendance heard.
Pastor Tim Schroeder, a former member of the Kelowna RCMP auxiliary
and the detachment padre, said the new building will be a place
representing peace, safety and security for decades to come.
“Those who are bent on doing wrong are not going to like this place,”
Schroeder said. “But to the law-abiding majority, this is a great
place.”
Continental Newspapers (Canada) Ltd is located in Kelowna, BC, Canada
and is part of the Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory
Publishers Industry. Continental Newspapers (Canada) Ltd has 220 total
employees across all of its locations and generates $42.63 million in
sales (USD). (Sales figure is modelled). There are 3 companies in the
Continental Newspapers (Canada) Ltd corporate family.
Key Principal: F David Radler
550 Doyle Ave
Kelowna, BC, V1Y 7V1
Phone: (250) 763-4000
Website: www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Employees (this site): 200 Actual
Employees (all sites): 220 Actual
Revenue: $42.63 million Modelled
Year Started: 1904 Incorporated: 1999
kelownadailycourier.ca
2253 Leckie Road
Kelowna, BC V1X6Y5
Phone: (250) 763-4000
Email: csr@ok.bc.ca
Newsroom Personnel
City Editor
Pat Bulmer
250.470.0739
city.desk@ok.bc.ca
https://www.kelownacapnews.
Kelowna RCMP name new top cop
Insp. Kara Triance will be promoted to superintendent this fall
Michael RodriguezAug. 19, 2020 3:00 p.m.Local NewsNews
The Kelowna RCMP has named its new top cop.
Insp. Kara Triance will be promoted to superintendent this fall,
assuming her duties as the Kelowna Detachment Commander for the
Regional District of the Central Okanagan which includes Kelowna, West
Kelowna, Peachland and Lake Country.
Triance has been with the RCMP since 2000, after studying sociology
and criminology at UBC. Her first assignment saw her serve five years
in Richmond.
She also served in Bella Bella and on the central coast of B.C., in
Vernon/North Okanagan including Armstrong and Falkland and with the
Federal Border Integrity Shiprider program in Victoria. Most recently,
Triance served as the first female officer in charge of the Sea to Sky
detachment, since November 2016.
According to chief superintendent Brad Haugli, South East District
commander Insp. Triance has policed Indigenous communities, large and
small municipalities, rural and isolated communities, as well as
international waters.
Triance is the co-chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police
(BCACP), Diversity and Inclusion Committee and serves on the executive
board for the B.C. Women in Law Enforcement (BCWLE) Association.
Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran said the city is pleased with Triance’s
appointment, believing her to be the right person to help the city
move through the social change it is experiencing.
“Crime reduction requires a collaborative approach and her willingness
to work with diverse groups across all areas of our community will
help bring about positive change,” said Basran.
Born and raised in Kelowna, Triance is looking forward to returning
home, where she will share her policing knowledge and experience
through employee and community engagement.
“I am honoured to have been selected to serve as the next officer in
charge of Kelowna RCMP Detachment.I have great expectations for
accountability and excellence in delivering policing services,” said
Triance.
Triance takes the position over from Supt. Brent Mundle, who will be
transferred to a position with the South East District management
team.
Bureau Chief:
jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
250-979-7309
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2022 15:07:30 -0400
Subject: Fwd: At least the lawyers and Glen Motz cannot deny that he
speaks for Tamara and Dwayne Lich in Parlament EH?
To: will.rosemond@roylelaw.ca
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Bergen, Candice - M.P."<candice.bergen@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2022 19:05:09 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: At least the lawyers and Glen Motz cannot
deny that he speaks for Tamara and Dwayne Lich in Parlament EH?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
On behalf of the Hon. Candice Bergen, thank you for contacting the
Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition.
Ms. Bergen greatly values feedback and input from Canadians. We read
and review every incoming e-mail. Please note that this account
receives a high volume of e-mails. We reply to e-mails as quickly as
possible.
If you are a constituent of Ms. Bergen’s in Portage-Lisgar with an
urgent matter please provide complete contact information. Not
identifying yourself as a constituent could result in a delayed
response.
Once again, thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition
------------------------------
Au nom de l’hon. Candice Bergen, nous vous remercions de communiquer
avec le Bureau de la cheffe de l’Opposition officielle.
Mme Bergen accorde une grande importance aux commentaires des
Canadiens. Nous lisons et étudions tous les courriels entrants.
Veuillez noter que ce compte reçoit beaucoup de courriels. Nous y
répondons le plus rapidement possible.
Si vous faites partie de l’électorat de Mme Bergen dans la
circonscription de Portage-Lisgar et que votre affaire est urgente,
veuillez fournir vos coordonnées complètes. Si vous ne le faites pas,
cela pourrait retarder la réponse.
Nous vous remercions une fois encore d’avoir pris le temps d’écrire.
Veuillez agréer nos salutations distinguées,
Bureau de la cheffe de l’Opposition officielle
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2022 15:05:00 -0400
Subject: At least the lawyers and Glen Motz cannot deny that he speaks
for Tamara and Dwayne Lich in Parlament EH?
To: diane@magaslaw.net, Glen.Motz@parl.gc.ca, Matthew@davidanber.com,
sheilagunnreid <sheilagunnreid@gmail.com>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>,
"Mike.Comeau"<Mike.Comeau@gnb.ca>, "John.Williamson"
<John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca>, "rob.moore"<rob.moore@parl.gc.ca>,
"jake.stewart"<jake.stewart@parl.gc.ca>, "Richard.Bragdon"
<Richard.Bragdon@parl.gc.ca>, ahelmer@postmedia.com, Newsroom
<Newsroom@globeandmail.com>, nouvelle <nouvelle@acadienouvelle.com>,
"stefanos.karatopis"<stefanos.karatopis@gmail.com>
<premier@ontario.ca>, attorneygeneral <attorneygeneral@ontario.ca>,
"Candice.Bergen"<Candice.Bergen@parl.gc.ca>, "pierre.poilievre"
<pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca>, pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, "Katie.Telford"
<Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>, kingpatrick278
<kingpatrick278@gmail.com>, "Kevin.leahy"
<Kevin.leahy@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)"
<kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, "Dominic.Cardy"<Dominic.Cardy@gnb.ca>,
"blaine.higgs"<blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, "David.Lametti"
<David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>, Viva Frei <david@vivafrei.com>, Dave
Steenburg <davesteenburg269@gmail.com>
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, "Joel.Lightbound"
<Joel.Lightbound@parl.gc.ca>, nobyrne <nobyrne@unb.ca>,
"Nathaniel.Erskine-Smith"<Nathaniel.Erskine-Smith@parl.
https://www.facebook.com/
646 Friends
Lives in Medicine Hat, Alberta
From Gull Lake, Saskatchewan
Married
Moiz M. Karimjee
Called to the bar: 1999 (ON)
Crown Attorney's Office
Assistant Crown Attorney
161 Elgin St.
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2K1
Phone: 613-239-1200
Fax: 613-239-1214
https://www.ccla-abcc.ca/
Diane Magas
Lawyer: Over 3 Years in Practice
diane@magaslaw.net
Professional Information
D. Condo Law Professional Corporation
Barrister & Solicitor
201-280 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa Ontario
K2P 1R7 Canada
613 563-1005
https://lso.ca/public-
Will Calvin Rosemond
Business Address
Edward Royle & Associates
1200 - 439 University Ave
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1Y8
Phone 1 416 309 1970 Ext. 202
Email Address
will.rosemond@roylelaw.ca
https://lso.ca/public-
Caryma Sa'd
Law Society Number
71430C
Business Address
276-222 Spadina Ave
Toronto, Ontario
M5T 3B3
Phone 1 647 360 7182
Email Address help@sadvocacy.com
https://twitter.com/
Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Political Satirist@CarymaRulesPat King’s bail
hearing is starting now.
This is the same crown who secured Tamara Lich’s detention, but a
different jurist, in this case a Justice of the Peace (JP).
King is represented by Cal Rosemond, who is also Chris Sky’s lawyer.
🧵11:09 AM · Feb 22, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Why was Tamara Lich denied bail? Lawyer Matthew Wolfson on convoy
organizer's arrest
34,782 views
Feb 24, 2022
3.6K
1.56M subscribers
Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois felt that Lich was obstinate and
dangerous in her responses to the court during bail hearing last
Saturday.
READ MORE ► https://rebelne.ws/3heeAC7
https://www.cbc.ca/news/
Ottawa convoy protest organizer Tamara Lich denied bail
Judge was not convinced she would go home and follow conditions
CBC News · Posted: Feb 22, 2022 9:46 AM ET
Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich appears in front of a judge for a
bail hearing on Feb. 19, 2022, which was put over to Tuesday. Lich,
from Medicine Hat, Alta., was charged last Thursday with counselling
to commit mischief in connection with the Ottawa protests. (Lauren
Foster-MacLeod/CBC)
Tamara Lich, a major organizer of the so-called Freedom Convoy, was
denied bail Tuesday morning in Ottawa.
Lich, the Alberta woman behind a now-halted GoFundMe campaign that
raised over $10 million to support the protest in Ottawa, was arrested
and charged Thursday with counselling to commit mischief.
Before her arrest, she told journalists she wasn't concerned about
being arrested, didn't think the protest was illegal and also said her
bank account was frozen.
On Tuesday, the judge said she was not convinced Lich would go home,
stay there and stop her alleged counselling.
"This community has already been impacted enough by some of the
criminal activity and blockades you took part in and even led," said
Justice Julie Bourgeois.
"You have had plenty of opportunity to remove yourself and even others
from this criminal activity but obstinately chose not to and
persistently counselled others not to either.
"In Canada, every citizen can certainly disagree with and protest
against government decisions but it needs to be done in a democratic
fashion in abidance with the laws that have been established
democratically."
Set to return next week
Bourgeois said she found Lich to be guarded and "almost obstructive"
at times during the initial court appearance on Saturday and the judge
stated it was disturbing Lich didn't have a plan to get home after
other organizers started getting arrested.
Her husband Dwayne Lich, who would be responsible as a proposed surety
to report any breach of bail conditions, gave "unreliable and not
credible" evidence, Bourgeois found.
Tamara Lich, who Bourgeois says could face a "lengthy" stay in prison
if convicted, is scheduled to return to court on March 2.
Lich's lawyer Diane Magas confirmed to CBC Tuesday afternoon she plans
to seek an appeal of the decision to deny her client bail.
Downtown Ottawa is starting to return to normal after police flooded
the core over the weekend, towing more than 100 vehicles that didn't
leave and charging more than 100 people.
Businesses that had been forced to close are starting to reopen, light
rail is running again through downtown and the area controlled by
police checkpoints has shrunk.
Protest organizer Tamara Lich speaks with reporters before her arrest
11 days ago
Duration 1:22
Convoy organizer Tamara Lich spoke with reporters just before 7 p.m.
Thursday evening at Metcalfe and Wellington Streets in Ottawa. 1:22
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
https://ottawacitizen.com/
Convoy organizer Tamara Lich's lawyer prepping bail review
application; Pat King awaits decision
In denying bail, Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois said she could
not be sure that Lich would not re-offend
Author of the article:
Aedan Helmer
Publishing date:
Feb 23, 2022
Tamara Lich, one of the main fundraisers and organizers and part of
the protests by truckers opposing coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
mandates that occupied Ottawa for three weeks, appears by video in
court on Tuesday, when she was denied bail.
Tamara Lich, one of the main fundraisers and organizers and part of
the protests by truckers opposing coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
mandates that occupied Ottawa for three weeks, appears by video in
court on Tuesday, when she was denied bail. Photo by JANE ROSENBERG
/REUTERS
Two of the most visible and vocal organizers behind the “Freedom
Convoy” protests remain in an Ottawa jail as Tamara Lich was denied
bail Tuesday and Pat King will wait until Friday to learn whether a
judge will grant his request to return to Alberta under bail
conditions.
Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois said she believed there was a
substantial likelihood Lich would re-offend if released.
“I cannot be reassured that if I release you into the community that
you will not re-offend,” Bourgeois said. “Your detention is necessary
for the protection and safety of the public.”
Following the hearing, Lich’s Ottawa-based defence lawyer, Diane
Magas, said she was preparing a bail review application after her
client was denied her freedom and hoped the application could be heard
as soon as next week.
The judge cited the “immense” impact the convoy and the ensuing
occupation had on the community and said she believed Lich was
“obstinate” and “disingenuous” in her responses to the court during
her bail hearing on Saturday.
Lich appeared in court via a video link Tuesday, while King appeared
in person in a neighbouring courtroom, where his lawyer presented a
bail plan that includes a $50,000 bond from an Alberta woman who
acknowledged she had only known King for four weeks.
Kerry Komix, the proposed surety, also travelled to Ottawa to support
the demonstration.
Assistant Crown Attorney Moiz Karimjee, who led the prosecution in
both bail hearings, questioned the woman’s ability to act as a
reliable surety and suggested she shared the same ideology as King.
Pat King, one of the organizers of the protests by truckers opposing
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mandates that occupied Ottawa for three
weeks, appears in a court bail hearing on Tuesday. Photo by JANE
ROSENBERG /REUTERS
The court was shown numerous videos of King’s own dispatches —
including his now infamous rants promoting racist conspiracy theories
— as he watched from the prisoner’s box wearing white pants and a grey
hoodie emblazoned with the word Odin.
He also wore a surgical mask at the court’s direction and was reminded
at one point by Justice of the Peace Andrew Seymour to wear his mask.
King was cautioned by his lawyer, Cal Rosemond, following an outburst
from the prisoner’s box early in the hearing and remained silent,
occasionally slouching in his seat or fidgeting with his mask for the
rest of the lengthy session.
Karimjee pointed to the “disturbing evidence” seen and heard in the
widely-circulated videos and told the court King, like Lich, presented
“a substantial likelihood” of reoffending.
King, 44, was arrested on Friday and faces charges of mischief,
counselling to commit mischief, counselling to commit the offence of
disobeying a court order and counselling to obstruct police.
Lich was arrested last Thursday and charged with counselling to commit mischief.
During the lunch break, King was also served with a statement of claim
in the $306-million class-action lawsuit against him, other organizers
and participants of the so-called “Freedom Convoy.”
Karimjee likened the incessant honking of trucker horns to “torture”
and said King, who often cited the phrase “Art of War” in his online
tirades, believed he was leading a war against government forces.
“He was at war with the City of Ottawa,” Karimjee said. “The noise was
a form of torture that was implemented on the citizens of Ottawa by
Mr. King (with) what can only be described as a sadistic laugh…
“Not only did Mr. King know, but it was his intention to use that
noise to get the federal government to negotiate and come to the
table. And, quite disturbingly, Mr. King was mocking, laughing at poor
Ottawans who were not able to sleep. He was saying, ‘We have achieved
our objective.’”
Under the bail plan proposed by his lawyer, King would return to
Alberta to live with Komix in a spare room in her home. The woman said
she is willing to put up $50,000 — approximately half the value of her
home — and told the court she would pledge the full value of the home
“if it was necessary.”
The bail plan would ensure King would be unable to communicate with
others to organize any further protests, Rosemond told the court.
“He’ll be stuck on house arrest” in rural Alberta with Komix, Rosemond
said, and as surety she would be limiting his access to the internet
by guarding the password and confiscating any cellular devices.
Komix told the court she is a light sleeper and has a dog.
“She’s going to follow your bail order to the letter of the law,”
Rosemond told the judge. “(King) is not in Ottawa under this bail
plan, and he doesn’t have access to electronic devices without his
surety looking over his shoulder — (one) who stands to lose a lot of
money if anything goes wrong with this bail plan.”
Seymour said he recognized the “vast” public interest in the case and
said he would render his decision Friday afternoon.
While she remains in custody, Lich was ordered to have no contact with
King or other convoy organizers Benjamin Dichter, Christopher Barber
and Daniel Bulford.
Lich has no criminal record and the mischief case against her has not
been tested in court.
Barber was granted bail and released on Saturday by the same judge who
denied bail in Lich’s case.
The judge gave him 24 hours to get out of town and banned him from
supporting the “Freedom Convoy” in any shape or form.
With files from Gary Dimmock, Michael Edgar and The Canadian Press
https://www.cbc.ca/news/
No bail decision yet for Tamara Lich, convoy protest organizer
Lich told court she has few assets and her bank accounts have been frozen
Kimberley Molina, Bobby Hristova · CBC News · Posted: Feb 19, 2022 5:08 PM ET
Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich appears in front of a judge for a
bail hearing on Feb. 19, 2022, which was put over to Tuesday. Lich,
from Medicine Hat, Alta., was charged last Thursday with counselling
to commit mischief in connection with the Ottawa protests. (Lauren
Foster-MacLeod/CBC)
A second major organizer of the so-called Freedom Convoy will have to
wait a few more days before an Ontario Court of Justice judge decides
whether to grant her bail.
Tamara Lich, the Alberta woman behind a now-halted GoFundMe campaign
that raised over $10 million to support the protest in Ottawa, was
arrested and charged Thursday with counselling to commit mischief.
Police arrested another key leader, Chris Barber, on the same day. He
was released on bail Friday.
Before her arrest, Lich told journalists she wasn't concerned about
being arrested, didn't think the protest was illegal and also said her
bank account was frozen
WATCH: Protest organizer Tamara Lich speaks with reporters before her arrest
Protest organizer Tamara Lich speaks with reporters before her arrest
11 days ago
Duration 1:22
Convoy organizer Tamara Lich spoke with reporters just before 7 p.m.
Thursday evening at Metcalfe and Wellington Streets in Ottawa. 1:22
At her bail hearing Saturday, Lich wore a black hoodie with white text
that combined a heart and maple leaf to read "I love Canadian oil and
gas."
She was also required to wear a medical mask, one of the mandates the
convoy has been fighting against, along with requiring COVID-19
vaccines to participate in certain activities like cross-border
trucking.
Crown attorney Moiz Karimjee focused on both Lich and her husband
Dwayne's ability to pay a proposed $5,000 bond if Lich breached any
conditions the judge may impose.
Lich, who lives in Medicine Hat, Alta., and her husband both work in
the oil and gas sector. Lich told the court she has no savings and few
assets, including a 2017 Jeep and 2018 Ford F-150 that they're
continuing to make payments on.
She also offered no suggestions how she would be able to make her way
back to Alberta if ordered to, since she travelled to Ottawa with
Barber, whose bail conditions include that he not communicate with
her.
Her lawyer, Diane Magas, later told court that one of the lawyers
representing Lich in a proposed $10-million class-action lawsuit
against protesters would be able to drive the couple back to Alberta,
allowing her to leave within the next week.
Tamara Lich, organizer for a protest convoy by truckers and supporters
demanding an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, delivers a statement
during a news conference in Ottawa, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. (Adrian
Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Husband travelled on private jet
Lich has been a major player in the demonstrations in Canada's
capital, which have lasted for more than three weeks and have
attracted international attention.
Ottawa police said Saturday they had made 170 arrests and towed 53
vehicles out of the occupation zone.
Dwayne Lich has been proposed to act as her surety, meaning he would
have to report if she breached any bail conditions.
In his testimony, he said he flew to Ottawa on Feb. 2 on a private jet
at a cost of $5,000, paid for by a "nice gentleman" named Joseph that
he'd only recently met.
"But he told me that my plane ride was taken care of, which was a
miracle," he told the court.
The Crown questioned Dwayne Lich on his ability to serve as surety,
given he'd been in Ottawa throughout much of the protests while his
wife had been recorded telling protesters to "Hold the line at all
costs."
For weeks, the convoy blocked several major roads in Ottawa's downtown
core. (Reno Patry/CBC/Radio Canada)
While he said he didn't believe in the blockades or holding the line,
Dwayne Lich also said he didn't see anything wrong, equating the
blockades to a large traffic jam or parked cars in a snow storm.
"I don't see no guns. I don't see anything criminal as far as I can
see. I just see trucks parked," he said.
Dwayne Lich questions legality of Emergencies Act
He also questioned whether the Emergencies Act — which was debated
Saturday in the House of Commons — was implemented legally, at times
confusing the numbered amendments found in the U.S. Constitution with
Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"Honestly? I thought it was a peaceful protest and based on my first
amendment, I thought that was part of our rights," he told the court.
"What do you mean, first amendment? What's that?" Judge Julie
Bourgeois asked him.
"I don't know. I don't know politics. I don't know," he said. "I
wasn't supportive of the blockade or the whatever, but I didn't
realize that it was criminal to do what they were doing. I thought it
was part of our freedoms to be able to do stuff like that."
He also began asking the court about whether the Liberal government
was legally allowed to implement the Emergencies Act.
A courtroom sketch of Dwayne Lich, who testified at his wife's bail
hearing about his ability to act as her surety. (Laurie
Foster-MacLeod/CBC)
"Can you tell me if what they did is really legal? If this is
something that they can be doing or is it against everything that is
good and holy? I don't know," he said.
While the Crown argued his comments showed he might not recognize the
law, Magas asked him if he understood that any restrictions set by the
court would need to be followed, to which he said he did.
The Crown is arguing against bail for Tamara Lich, saying she's
already proven she has no respect for the law and that her husband's
testimony shows they have rich friends and could fundraise more money.
The judge is expected to make a decision Tuesday.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Motz, Glen - M.P."<Glen.Motz@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2022 16:25:22 +0000
Subject: RE: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with
support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote EH
AB?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Thank you for your email. My office has been inundated with similar emails.
On Monday February the 21st, the Liberals and NDP voted in favour of
the Emergencies Act and called the situation at hand a public order
emergency. It was the first time that this act has ever been used and
the act preceding the emergencies act was only used in WW1, WW2 and
the FLQ Crisis. This vote was specifically disturbing because it
occurred despite the fact that all of the cross border protests were
concluded and the one in Ottawa was disbursed and disbanding. It was a
dark day for personal freedoms and peaceful protests in Canada.
The Prime Minister appears to have made no effort to de-escalate the
situation. Instead, he has insulted and disrespected Canadians, and
then when it blew up, instead of apologizing and listening to what
people had to say, jumped straight to the most extreme measures to
deal with the protests.
Imposing powers of the Emergencies Act sets a dangerous precedent. The
Government of Canada included in its laundry list of powers the
ability to freeze the funds of those supporting the demonstrators.
Governments should not have the power to close the bank accounts of
hardworking Canadians simply on the suspicion of supporting causes of
which the government doesn’t approve. This is a slippery slope, and
not how the government should operate in a free and democratic
society.
Some of my comments are contained in this speech I delivered in the
House of Commons on behalf of constituents. It is worth watching as it
clearly shows where I stand and the actions that I personally took to
stop this government overreach. The video can be viewed here:
https://fb.watch/bmjT0H1Fs2/
In an even more baffling turn of events, less than 48 hours after
voting to implemented the Emergencies Act the Prime Minister announced
on February the 23rd that the “situation is no longer an emergency”
and revoked the Emergencies Act. Although it is unnerving to even
consider that the PM would invoke the Act to silence his political
adversaries, I am thankful that the direct, powerful and prolonged
pressure by Conservative MPs and engaged constituents such as yourself
seems to have impacted his decision. In the words of our interim
Conservative Leader “Nothing has changed between Monday and today
other than a flood of concerns from Canadian citizens, bad press, and
international ridicule.”
This is not a win, our work is not over yet. What all Canadians need
now is a clear plan out of this pandemic by ending the mandates and a
return to normal life. Unfortunately, the Liberals and NDP are
unwilling to even discuss a plan for Canadians and unwilling to put
their political differences aside.
I will continue to be your strong voice in Ottawa and I hope that I
can continue to count on your support as I hold this government to
account for their actions.
Sincerely,
Glen Motz
Glen Motz, M.O.M., MP
Medicine Hat – Cardston – Warner
#306 – 2810 – 13th Ave SE,
Medicine Hat, AB T1A 3P9
Phone: 403-528-4698 | Fax: 403-528-4365
610 Valour Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Phone: 613-996-0633 | Fax: 613-995-5752
http://www.glenmotzmp.com/
-----Original Message-----
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Sent: February 21, 2022 3:45 PM
To: Aboultaif, Ziad - M.P. <Ziad.Aboultaif@parl.gc.ca>; Barlow, John -
M.P. <John.Barlow@parl.gc.ca>; Benzen, Bob - M.P.
<Bob.Benzen@parl.gc.ca>; Boissonnault, Randy - M.P.
<randy.boissonnault@parl.gc.ca
<blaine.calkins@parl.gc.ca>; Chahal, George - M.P.
<george.chahal@parl.gc.ca>; Cooper, Michael - M.P.
<Michael.Cooper@parl.gc.ca>; Desjarlais, Blake - M.P.
<blake.desjarlais@parl.gc.ca>; Dreeshen, Earl - M.P.
<earl.dreeshen@parl.gc.ca>; Genuis, Garnett - M.P.
<Garnett.Genuis@parl.gc.ca>; Goodridge, Laila - M.P.
<laila.goodridge@parl.gc.ca>; Hallan, Jasraj Singh - M.P.
<JasrajSingh.Hallan@parl.gc.ca
<Matt.Jeneroux@parl.gc.ca>; Kelly, Pat - M.P. <Pat.Kelly@parl.gc.ca>;
Kmiec, Tom - M.P. <Tom.Kmiec@parl.gc.ca>; Kurek, Damien C. - M.P.
<Damien.Kurek@parl.gc.ca>; Kusie, Stephanie - M.P.
<Stephanie.Kusie@parl.gc.ca>; Lake, Mike - M.P.
<mike.lake@parl.gc.ca>; Liepert, Ron - M.P. <Ron.Liepert@parl.gc.ca>;
Lloyd, Dane - M.P. <Dane.Lloyd@parl.gc.ca>; McCauley, Kelly - M.P.
<Kelly.McCauley@parl.gc.ca>; McLean, Greg - M.P.
<greg.mclean@parl.gc.ca>; McPherson, Heather - M.P.
<Heather.McPherson@parl.gc.ca>
<Glen.Motz@parl.gc.ca>; Rempel, Michelle - M.P.
<Michelle.Rempel@parl.gc.ca>; Richards, Blake - M.P.
<blake.richards@parl.gc.ca>; Shields, Martin - M.P.
<Martin.Shields@parl.gc.ca>; Soroka, Gerald - M.P.
<Gerald.Soroka@parl.gc.ca>; Stubbs, Shannon - M.P.
<Shannon.Stubbs@parl.gc.ca>; Thomas, Rachael - M.P.
<Rachael.Thomas@parl.gc.ca>; Uppal, Tim - M.P. <Tim.Uppal@parl.gc.ca>;
Arnold, Mel - M.P. <Mel.Arnold@parl.gc.ca>; Viersen, Arnold - M.P.
<Arnold.Viersen@parl.gc.ca>; Warkentin, Chris - M.P.
<chris.warkentin@parl.gc.ca>; Webber, Len - M.P.
<Len.Webber@parl.gc.ca>
Cc: motomaniac333@gmail.com
Subject: Fwd: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with
support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote EH
AB?
https://davidraymondamos3.
Monday, 21 February 2022
Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with support of the NDP
because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote EH?
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Mendicino, Marco - M.P."<Marco.Mendicino@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:14:55 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to
pass with support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable
confidence vote EH?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Thank you for contacting the constituency office of the Hon. Marco
Mendicino, P.C., M.P. for Eglinton—Lawrence.
Please be advised that our office has the capacity to assist with
requests within Eglinton—Lawrence only and we prioritize
correspondence from residents.
If you reside outside the riding and require assistance, you can
contact your local Member of Parliament by entering your postal code
here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/
If you are a resident of Eglinton—Lawrence and require assistance
continue reading below.
· For assistance with casework, we require your full name,
phone number, address and postal code to proceed.
· For non-ministerial meeting requests, we need to know
the nature of the meeting and we will respond back with possible
options.
· For media requests, the Press Secretary will get back to you.
To contact Public Safety Canada directly, please visit:
https://www.publicsafety.gc.
To contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada directly,
please email minister@cic.gc.ca or phone 613-954-1064.
For assistance with the situation in Afghanistan, please continue reading.
If you and your family require assistance regarding the rapidly
evolving situation in Afghanistan, detailed information on Canada’s
special measures to support Afghan nationals is available here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/
For Afghans who assisted the Government of Canada, please contact:
Canada-Afghanistan@
For questions on how Afghan nationals may reunite with their families
in Canada, or information on the humanitarian program to resettle
Afghans outside of Afghanistan, please contact:
IRCC.SituationAfghanistan.
You may also call 1-613-321-4243 from Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 7
p.m. (ET).
For Canadians in need of consular assistance in Afghanistan, please
contact Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response
Centre in Ottawa at:
· Phone: 613-996-8885
· Email: sos@international.gc.ca
· SMS: 613-686-3658
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Bergen, Candice - M.P."<candice.bergen@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:14:55 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to
pass with support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable
confidence vote EH?
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
On behalf of the Hon. Candice Bergen, thank you for contacting the
Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition.
Ms. Bergen greatly values feedback and input from Canadians. We read
and review every incoming e-mail. Please note that this account
receives a high volume of e-mails. We reply to e-mails as quickly as
possible.
If you are a constituent of Ms. Bergen’s in Portage-Lisgar with an
urgent matter please provide complete contact information. Not
identifying yourself as a constituent could result in a delayed
response.
Once again, thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition
------------------------------
------------------------------
Au nom de l’hon. Candice Bergen, nous vous remercions de communiquer
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From: "Blanchet, Yves-François - Député"<Yves-Francois.Blanchet@parl.
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:14:55 +0000
Subject: Réponse automatique : Deployment of Emergencies Act expected
to pass with support of the NDP because of Trudeau's predictable
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(English follows)
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Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2022 15:06:16 -0400
Subject: Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with support
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Monday, 21 February 2022
Deployment of Emergencies Act expected to pass with support of the NDP
because of Trudeau's predictable confidence vote EH?
Conservatives again demand an end to all federal COVID-19 restrictions
Bloc, Liberal and NDP MPs say its irresponsible to scrap health measures with Omicron in circulation
The Conservative Party is renewing its push to get the federal government to lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions, arguing the country must move on from all pandemic measures after two years of this health crisis.
The party tabled a motion in the House of Commons Thursday — a legislative attempt to force the government to drop measures like the vaccine mandate for federal public servants, transport workers, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel and the RCMP.
The government has said already that as of April 1, it will have eliminated most travel-related COVID restrictions — such as pre-arrival testing and forced quarantines — for fully vaccinated travellers.
While some restrictions will be loosened or eliminated altogether, the government will still block travel by unvaccinated foreign nationals and require all travellers on planes and trains to wear masks and show proof of vaccination.
The Conservatives say they want want all these measures lifted immediately. They argue Canadians have done enough to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"We can't be expected to live under these restrictions indefinitely," Conservative MP Michael Barrett, the health critic, said during debate in the Commons.
He said Canadians are "aching to get back to normalcy" and Ottawa should follow the lead of the provinces and territories, many of which have already dropped restrictions like mandatory masking rules for public spaces.
"The science shows us it's safe for these restrictions to be lifted. Canadians are noticing Justin Trudeau's indifference. In an Ottawa that is governed by this NDP-Liberal coalition, they're not looking at the medical science, they're looking at the political science that they've used to divide Canadians," Barrett said, referring to the Liberal-NDP agreement to work together on some policy issues over the next three years.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman, the party's transport critic and an early supporter of anti-vaccine mandate protests, said it's time to do away with vaccine requirements for cross-border truckers and other transport industry workers because the COVID situation is much more manageable now than it was when these mandates were imposed.
"It's time to give Canadians their lives back," Lantsman said. "It's time to follow the science."
Conservative MP Michael Cooper, who participated in the Ottawa convoy demonstrations earlier this year, compared what he called Canada's "draconian" restrictions on unvaccinated travellers to life in the former Soviet Union, where citizens were sometimes forbidden from travelling internally.
'COVID theatre'
He said restricting air travel to fully vaccinated people is "an unprecedented violation" of charter rights and called the limits "COVID theatre."
"What these mandates are really about is control. It's about saying, 'Do as we say and if you don't you will be unable to travel, you'll lose your job and you'll be vilified and you'll be treated as a second-class citizen.' How wrong, how un-Canadian," Cooper said.
"Canadians don't want to be controlled. They want to take back control of their lives. They want their freedom back and they want it now."
The Conservative motion is expected to fail. The other opposition parties, including the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, said Thursday a sprint to dump all COVID-19 restrictions would be reckless.
NDP MP Don Davies, the party's health critic, said withdrawing vaccine mandates now would be "irresponsible" and "harmful to the health of Canadians."
Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader, called the Conservative motion "stupid."
"The Conservatives can't click their heels together and wish the pandemic would come to an end," he said, saying the party has become a "far-right" movement that panders to anti-vaccine elements.
'We must not let our guard down' - Duclos
Addressing the Commons on the motion, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the government is aware of how disruptive some of these restrictions have been for Canadians over the past two years — but he suggested that with the highly transmissible Omicron variant and its subvariant, BA.2, in circulation, it's too soon to drop all restrictions now.
"We do want to put COVID behind us but we can't take our success for granted," Duclos said. "COVID-19 is still very much present in Canada and we must be cautious. The epidemiological situation in Canada is improving but it is unstable. We must not let our guard down."
While cautious about dismantling the mandate regime, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said last week that the government is reviewing the policy with an eye to ending it in the coming weeks.
Tam said all federal vaccine mandates are under review now because the science tells us the primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine — the first two doses — offers very little protection against the Omicron variant.
While scientists and vaccine developers initially thought those first two shots would reduce transmission of the COVID-19 virus, the emergence of new variants with different characteristics has upended that thinking, Tam said.
"The game-changer has been an Omicron variant, which is a vaccine-escape variant," Tam said.
WATCH: Dr. Theresa Tam says pandemic travel measures are under review
Public health officials say pandemic travel restrictions are under review, announcement coming soon
The first two doses do very little to stop someone from contracting COVID-19, but Tam said they still offer some protection against severe outcomes like hospitalization and death.
Conservatives have pointed to Canada's high vaccination rates as justification for ending the remaining federal restrictions on civil servants and travellers. Duclos said the priority should be bolstering stalled booster dose vaccination rates, which remain stuck at about 60 per cent. "These numbers are not enough," he said.
After weeks of decline, the number of COVID-19 cases being reported each day has increased in some Canadian jurisdictions.
But it's hard to tell just how pervasive Omicron cases are at this point because some provinces and territories have started to dismantle their mass testing sites — while also severely restricting who can access a PCR test to check for positivity.
With testing constrained, Duclos said, the federal government is pushing ahead with a massive procurement effort to buy many more rapid tests.
'Downright irresponsible'
When Omicron first hit in December, Ottawa had relatively few tests on hand to distribute to the provinces and territories to help Canadians check their status before gathering for Christmas festivities. Duclos said a recently passed bill, Bill C-10, will send $2.5 billion in new funding to Health Canada to keep a steady supply of rapid tests in stock as the country enters a BA.2-driven phase of this pandemic.
Bloc MP Maxime Blanchette-Joncas said the Conservative push to do away with all COVID measures is "excessive" given the spike in COVID-19 cases overseas. He said that while the Bloc supports the government tabling some sort of timeline for ending restrictions, it would be a mistake to simply revert to pre-COVID policy now.
"We've been seeing a major resurgence of COVID cases in Europe — the U.K., Ireland, Greece, Italy ..." he said. "It's downright irresponsible to want to lift all remaining measures at this precise moment."
"It looks like another effort by the Conservatives to politicize the pandemic, vaccination and health measures," he added, saying the party has become "the standard bearer for the most radical elements of the movement opposing health measures."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Parliamentary Bureau
J.P. Tasker is a senior writer in the CBC's parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. He can be reached at john.tasker@cbc.ca.