Prosecutors have dropped charges against former Ontario MPP Randy Hillier pertaining to a June 2021 anti-lockdown protest in Norfolk, Ontario.
Hillier was charged with violating public health orders under the Reopening Ontario Act. The Crown also dropped charges against Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, private citizen Dan Stasko and former Conservative MP Derek Sloan.
The Norfolk event was an outdoor protest against Ontario’s pandemic response.
According to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which represented the four men, offences carried potential fines of $100,000 and up to one year in jail for each man.
“Peaceful demonstration is an essential pillar of a democratic society,” says JCCF lawyer Henna Parmar.
“Citizens have the right to make their opinions known. We are pleased in this case to hear that the Crown will not proceed with prosecuting citizens who spoke out against harsh government lockdowns.”
Throughout the pandemic, Hillier was a vocal opponent of Canada’s pandemic response. Hillier was ticketed on several occasions and had several run-ins with police.
In December 2020, Lanark County OPP and the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit investigated Hillier after he posted a photo of his family’s gathering on Twitter.
“I will always remain free, it is my life to enjoy not at the whim or discretion of others, it is my home to welcome those I choose,” Hillier said in the post.
“Never will the government determine who I can welcome into MY home, it is mine not theirs.”
In March 2022, the former Ontario MPP was released with conditions after being charged in relation to his participation in the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa. He is currently facing two counts each of obstructing a public officer, counselling mischief and mischief/obstructing property over $5,000.
According to a 2021 paper published by a team of Oxford University researchers, Ontario led Canada’s provinces and territories in the severity of its lockdowns and public health measures.
Based on Premier Doug Ford’s increasingly severe public health measures and stay-at-home order, Ontario was the only province or territory to receive a failing grade.
