Ottawa Police says anyone protesting in Ottawa now “breaking the law”

Jonathan Bradley
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Ottawa Police says anyone protesting in Ottawa now “breaking the law”

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) has ordered people participating in the Freedom Convoy to exit the city or risk being arrested. 

The OPS also announced Wednesday that the federal government’s Emergencies Act allows travel to be regulated in a particular area, adding that anyone who comes to Ottawa to protest is now breaking the law. 

“Anyone blocking streets, or assisting others in the blocking of streets, are committing a criminal offence and …may be arrested,” said the OPS in a press release. 

“You must immediately cease further unlawful activity or you will face charges.”

The OPS claimed that Ottawa residents are “being denied the lawful use, enjoyment and operation of their property and … are causing businesses to close.” 

According to the police press release, this behaviour can be construed as mischief under the Criminal Code of Canada.

The OPS added that charges and convictions related to the Freedom Convoy could lead to people being barred from crossing the Canada-US border. 

“Anyone who commits these illegal actions could face fines or be required to appear in court,” they said. “Commercial vehicle drivers’ licenses and private drivers’ licenses can be suspended or revoked.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history to provide the federal government with extra powers to manage the trucker protests across Canada. 

“It is now clear that there are serious challenges to law enforcement’s ability to effectively enforce the law,” said Trudeau. 

Trudeau added that the Emergencies Act would give police more power to break up public gatherings deemed illegal and dangerous, including blockades and occupations. 

The RCMP, Trudeau added, can enforce municipal bylaws and provincial offences where applicable. 

Liberal finance minister Chrystia Freeland said invoking the Emergencies Act meant that crowdfunding platforms would have to register with – and report large transactions to – the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC). 

“We are making these changes because we know these platforms are being used to support illegal blockades and illegal activity, which is damaging the Canadian economy,” said Freeland. 

Canadian Constitution Foundation lawyer Christine Van Geyn told True North’s Andrew Lawton that Trudeau likely lacks the legitimate grounds for invoking the Emergencies Act.

“The threshold for actually invoking the Emergencies Act may not have been met in this case,” said Van Geyn on “The Andrew Lawton Show” on True North on Tuesday. “While perhaps there is some evidence that the government is relying on that we don’t have access to, there’re really specific things that the act requires in order for it to be invoked.” 

Van Geyn said that in order for the act to be invoked for a public order emergency, there have to be threats to Canada’s territorial integrity, espionage, and sabotage.

The Freedom Convoy entered its 25th day on Wednesday. 

Journalists and politicians share illegally obtained GiveSendGo data

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Journalists and politicians share illegally obtained GiveSendGo data

Journalists and politicians have been tripping over each other to identify anybody who donated to the Freedom Convoy after hackers illegally leaked GiveSendGo donor data on Monday. 

Legacy media outlets including the CBC and the Ottawa Citizen have been publishing personally identifiable information of Canadian citizens who donated to the Freedom Convoy. The practice – otherwise known as “doxxing” –  involves publicly identifying individuals by publishing their private information with malicious intent. 

True North has rounded up the most prominent figures who have engaged in sharing the illegal data contents. Names have been blurred out in order to protect the identity of those doxxed. 

Gerald Butts

Former principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among those who linked to illegally obtained information identifying business owners, civil servants and even students who donated as little as $100 to the convoy. 

The Toronto Watcher thread that Butts shared directly named individuals, their place of employment or what school they attended. 

Ottawa city councillor Mathieu Fleury

Ottawa city councillor Mathieu Fleury also joined in the doxxing by publishing the names of convoy donors on his personal Twitter account. Among those identified by Fleury was a retired Ottawa employee. 

CTV anchor Graham Richardson

CTV anchor Graham Richardson tweeted on Tuesday that he was contacting individuals included in the illegal GiveSendGo data leak and was going to publish the names when those people “have confirmed they donated.” 

Dean Blundell

Soon after the GiveSendGo data was leaked, disgraced former radio host Dean Blundell published an article linking to the donor list. Blundell also published several names on his website. 

Ottawa Citizen editor Blair Cawford 

Ottawa Citizen editor Blair Crawford penned an article doxxing the owner of a local ice cream parlour after her name appeared on the hacked donor list. The business owner was forced to close her store after receiving threats. 

Frank Magazine Atlantic

Frank Magazine Atlantic has been publishing the photos and names of several people who contributed to the GiveSendGo and were identified in the illegally obtained data. Among those doxxed by Frank Magazine was an Afghan war vet and his wife. The outlet also published the private information of a university professor and others. 

GiveSendGo demands FBI investigate hack of Freedom Convoy fundraiser

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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GiveSendGo demands FBI investigate hack of Freedom Convoy fundraiser

American online fundraising platform GiveSendGo has demanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launch a probe into who hacked their site and illegally published the private information of donors to the Canadian trucker convoy. 

GiveSendGo Founder Jacob Wells told Fox News on Wednesday that the attack on the website was a “well-orchestrated” political doxxing campaign. 

“This seems well orchestrated. There’s strong political motivations behind this,” Wells told the outlet. 

Some individuals have already begun to claim responsibility for the cyber attack, including people who “have histories in some pretty nefarious attacks.”

“This is illegal, and these people should be going to jail,” Wells said. “The FBI – I mean, it’s surprising that we haven’t heard from any investigative services. We will be reaching out ourselves to just see that there’s some investigation into this. This is completely unacceptable.”

Tens of thousands of people were affected by the hack, whose illegally leaked data has been published by several politicians, journalists and other figures in Canada. Some journalists have even used the illegal data breach to publicly identify business owners and other professionals who made donations to the Freedom Convoy. 

Among those who shared the private information of Canadian citizens – including even university students – was former principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gerald Butts. 

On Twitter, Butts linked to a Twitter thread by the account ‘Toronto Watcher’ which cited the leaked information, including the names and places of work of dozens of Canadians. 

One Ottawa small business owner was forced to shut down her store after receiving threats of retaliation for contributing $250 to the convoy fundraiser. 

According to Wells, GiveSendGo would be reaching out to the FBI to “go after people that are engaging in this type of illicit illegal behaviour.” 

“We find it unacceptable on our side that this happened, and that’s why we’re pouring into bringing on the best. We never want to see this happen, and it’s horrific to us that it has,” said Wells. 

“I think this is highly, highly coordinated, very, very sophisticated hacking groups that have had a very, very targeted purpose in what they were trying to do. I hate the position that people have found themselves in. But this is the moment for them to rally, not be intimidated and say, ‘Yes, I support freedom. Yes, I support peaceful protests 100%.’” 

“It’s the bedrock of democracy, and it’s the side that’s opposing this that’s really a group of terrorists,” Wells concluded. “They’re instilling terror. That’s their goal.”

What the trucker convoy protesters want – in their own words

Andrew Lawton
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What the trucker convoy protesters want – in their own words

It has been nearly three weeks since the trucker convoy arrived on Parliament Hill with a clear goal of ending all vaccine passports and mandates in Canada at the provincial and federal levels. In that time, the legacy media has attributed a number of goals and motives to the convoy and its organizational team which do not align with what the protest seeks to accomplish.

Convoy spokesperson Benjamin Dichter delivered a statement on Jordan Peterson’s podcast outlining the convoy’s values and goals. 

True North has transcribed it and is publishing it here in full.

—

The freedom convoy is a peaceful and loving demonstration based on the principles of unity and respect for all Canadians. We have come to Ottawa with two very simple demands: One, the government end all COVID mandates, and two, the federal government remove its digital COVID tracking app called ArriveCan as a requirement to re-enter Canada.

We have not anticipated the thirst for freedom in all Canadians after two long years of restrictions and harsh lockdowns, which, in the minds of sensible Canadians are not in the spirit of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and our esteemed constitution. The supporters of our convoy have come from all walks of life, and have been a source of unification for Canadians from across all provinces and cultures. We are not a group interested in identity politics or racial divisions. We are, in fact, open to all people who want to share their love, and help with the revival of the Canadian identity.

The freedom convoy leadership spans the country and comes from various Indigenous, rural and urban communities, all who have an ambition for unification and freedom. Our demands have not changed from day one: End the mandates and end the passports, and we will all go back home to our communities and our businesses and help Canada heal from the COVID years.

There have been many demands attributed to us that are not our demands, primarily from the legacy media. We do not want to overthrow the government. We do not want to remove any of our elected officials from power – that’s what elections are for. We do not want to confront. We do not want confrontation with the good people of law enforcement, within our organization and within our crowds, we have countless first responders and military veterans who are all proud of the Ottawa police. We do not wish for military action. We want nothing other than for our peaceful and loving demonstrations, as well as our community outreach, to help inspire our fellow Canadians to have a voice and to appreciate the freedoms which we are fortunate enough to have and which many others in the world struggle to achieve.

We also would ask that our political class and the legacy media tone down their rhetoric. The era of slander and indiscriminately labeling fellow citizens with pejoratives or as racist needs to come to an end. We need to talk openly and respect one another. But we cannot achieve this if our political class continues to behave in such an unparliamentary manner, while the legacy media attacks the very people they’re supposed to reach.

The unifying goal that all Canadians have is we want to return to a normal life – a free life, no matter where one lies on the political spectrum. Now is the time, and the first courageous step would be for the federal government to remove these divisive policies of mandates, and data tracking of our citizens. Allow us all to heal together.

Peace, love and unity is the future of the Canadian identity. Let’s inspire the world to follow us on this journey of enlightenment.

Ottawa ice cream shop threatened for donating to Freedom Convoy

Noah Jarvis
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Ottawa ice cream shop threatened for donating to Freedom Convoy

Stella Luna Gelato Café in Ottawa was forced to close its doors on Tuesday after the owner and store employees faced threats over a $250 donation to the Freedom Convoy. 

After the convoy’s GiveSendGo fundraiser was hacked on Sunday and its donor list was leaked online, Tammy Giuliani said her Ottawa-based ice cream shop started receiving calls from people threatening to throw bricks through the storefront window, with further threats against her employees. 

An admirer of grassroots causes, Giuliani said she initially donated $100 to the Freedom Convoy on GoFundMe before efforts by Ottawa Police and other officials had that fundraiser cancelled.

Giuliani said she has donated to a soccer team, a choir and an animal shelter in the past.  

“We rarely say no,” she said.

After the Freedom Convoy’s GoFundMe was frozen on Feb 4. and the convoy organizers launched a new fundraiser on GiveSendGo, Giuliani said she more than doubled her donation. 

“Now I’m giving you $250 and taking food down to the truckers every day,” Giuiliani wrote next to the new donation on Feb. 5. “Thank you for continuing to fight for Canadians across this country.”

After hackers leaked the GoFundMe donor’s list on Monday, however, Giuliani said she began to receive threats towards her family, staff and shop. She said she told her employees “not to get into any confrontation” and that their jobs were “to serve food and drinks, not get blasted by someone trying to make a point.”

Giuliani said Stella Luna Gelato Café was already struggling to get by. She added that pandemic restrictions had forced the company to take out a loan that she estimated would take seven years to pay off. 

Despite the threats towards the small business, some users on Twitter decided to show their support for Giuliani, pointing out that the shop doesn’t deserve to be targeted, and encouraging people to check them out if they’re in Ottawa.

 

 On the other hand, there have been plenty of people who have refused to show Giuliani or her employees even a modicum of sympathy for supporting the Freedom Convoy. 

As of now, Stella Luna Gelato Café is closed. Giuliani said she intends to report the threats to police.

Trudeau is marching Canada down a dark path

Candice Malcolm
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Why did Trudeau give himself the most drastic and sweeping powers available to a Canadian prime minister? What was his justification for weaponizing war-time measures against peaceful protesters? 

The short answer is because he hates the truckers. 

He is using the full power of the state to quash his political enemies. This set’s an incredibly dangerous precedent and marches Canada down a dark path. 

On today’s episode of the Candice Malcolm Show, Candice is joined by lawyer Ryan O’Connor to discuss what this means for Canada and our liberal democracy.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

Trudeau condemned around the world for moving to crush protests

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Figures from around the world are standing with Canadian protestors who oppose COVID-19 mandates after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to quash peaceful demonstrations. 

International journalists, authors, politicians, broadcasters and celebrities have savaged Trudeau over the authoritarian move. 

The criticisms come from varied countries including the US, UK, France, Brazil and the Netherlands. Their common theme is a distaste for Trudeau’s excessive powers and his attempt to strip Canadians of their right to peaceful assembly.

True North has made a list of some of the most prominent global voices speaking out against the Liberal government’s ongoing tyranny. 

UK MP Marcus Fysh accuses Canadian government of “authoritarian measures”

UK Conservative MP Marcus Fysh wrote to his own Foreign Secretary to ask what the United Kingdom was doing to discourage the Canadian government from using “arbitrary (and) authoritarian measures against” Canadian citizens. 

US Senator Marsha Blackburn accuses Trudeau of “abusing his power”

Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn accused the prime minister of “abusing his power to target political opponents” by invoking the Emergencies Act.

Protestors gather outside of Canadian embassy in New York

Videos posted on social media showed a group of protestors gathered outside the Consulate General of Canada in New York City to show their support for Canadians opposed to COVID-19 mandates. Protestors waved Canadian and American flags. 

Investor and author Robert Kiyosaki says he stands with “freedom fighters”

Investor and author of Rich Dad Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki compared the Liberal government to“fascist tyrants” and likened protestors who were demonstrating against COVID-19 measures to “freedom fighters” in a tweet on Tuesday. 

Author Douglas Murray says all UK parties should unite to condemn Trudeau

Author and speaker Douglas Murray tweeted on Tuesday that all UK parties should unite in concern over the drastic actions Trudeau has taken against peaceful protestors. 

French journalist Francois Ruffin says Trudeau’s liberalism “is authoritarian” 

In a tweet on Tuesday, French journalist Francois Ruffin compared Trudeau to French president Emmanuel Macron who has also taken drastic actions against COVID-19 mandate protestors.. 

“In Canada, Justin Trudeau, Macron’s twin, establishes the state of exception. No coincidence in these parallel stories: their Project stumbles on democracy? They pass it by force. From now on, liberalism is authoritarian,” tweeted Ruffin in French.

Brazilian politician and former attorney general accuses Trudeau of dictatorship

Brazilian Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former federal district attorney general Bia Kicis wrote in Portuguese on Twitter that Trudeau had turned Canada into a dictatorship. 

“Canada is no longer a free country, it has become a dictatorship under the command of the “progressive” Trudeau. To contain peaceful protesters against the health passport, the tyrant withdraws civil rights, being able to order the freezing of bank accounts, fines and even imprisonment,” the translated tweet read. 

Dutch singer Tim Douwsma blasts “horrible Trudeau” 

On Tuesday Dutch singer and celebrity Tim Dowsma asked when the Netherlands will “speak out about this horrible Trudeau and what he is doing to his own citizens” in a tweet which has been translated into English. 

Canada’s inflation surpasses 5% – the first time in 30 years

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Canada’s inflation surpasses 5% – the first time in 30 years

Statistics Canada reported Wednesday that Canada’s annual pace of inflation has surpassed 5% – the highest since 1991. Canada’s inflation rate rose 5.1% on a year-over-year basis and up from a 4.8% gain in December 2021.

According to the agency, in the month of January, “prices rose in all major components on a year-over-year basis, with shelter prices (+6.2%) contributing the most to the all-items increase.”

The cost of food continues to skyrocket, with the price of food purchased at stores up 6.5% in the past year – the fastest pace since 2009. The cost housing is also becoming more expensive, as shelter costs increased by 6.2% in the past year – the fastest pace since 1990. Further, the cost of gasoline also increased by 4.8% during January – 31% higher than the same time last year.

Interim Leader of the Conservative Candice Bergen solely blamed the Trudeau government for Canada’s high inflation rate.

“The price of nearly everything is soaring and Canadians are struggling to get by,” Bergen tweeted on Wednesday.

“We need a solution. The Liberals are offering none.”

More and more Canadians are struggling to pay their bills as a result of the increased cost of goods.

According to the MNP Consumer Debt Index, 43% of Canadians say they’re struggling with their personal finances and paying off their debts while another 45% are concerned about meeting their living expenses. 

When broken down further, the numbers show that only 27% claimed they could cope with serious crises without plunging themselves further into debt. Half of the respondents said they are $200 or less away from being overburdened financially. 

Calgary police officer condemns Ottawa police acting like “hired goons” 

Jonathan Bradley
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Calgary police officer condemns Ottawa police acting like “hired goons” 

An officer with the Calgary Police Service (CPS) has said he is disgusted with the actions of the Ottawa Police against peaceful protesters at the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa.

“Watching members of the Ottawa Police Service seize fuel from peaceful protesters took away a long-held belief that I thought to be a lasting truth,” said Nick Motycka in a video posted to YouTube last week. “And that is the police are here when push really comes to shove and to protect and help people.” 

Motycka said that he has worked as a police officer with the CPS for about 10 years and served with the RCMP for six years prior. 

He said that he will never see policing in the same way again, claiming that what he saw in Ottawa was the police “doing the politicians’ dirty work like hired goons.” 

What Ottawa Police were doing, he said, goes against “why I chose this mostly thankless, difficult, traumatizing career with terrible hours.” He added that he became a police officer to help people. 

Motycka said that he strove to apply the “front page of the newspaper test” every day he was on duty, which involved asking himself if he would be OK if whatever he was about to do was put on the cover of a newspaper. He said that doing what was right –  even when it was tough – was always the right decision. 

Motycka said the political influence on Ottawa Police is “so very wrong on so many levels.”

“‘I was just following orders’ is no longer an excuse,” he said. “It is time to stand up and speak out by refusing to breach your fellow citizens’ fundamental Charter rights.” 

CPS confirmed to True North that Motycka is an officer with the service. 

“We are aware of the matter and are investigating,” said CPS in an email. “The officer is currently on an unrelated leave from the service.”

The Freedom Convoy in Ottawa entered its 24th day on Tuesday. 

Recap of Day 24 of the Truckers for Freedom Convoy

Harrison Faulkner
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Recap of Day 24 of the Truckers for Freedom Convoy

On Day 24 of the Truckers for Freedom Convoy, the Ottawa police chief resigned, Quebec announced they were dropping their vaccine passports and RCMP hugged protesters at the Coutts border. 

Just over two weeks into the protests, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly announced that he would be resigning as criticism over his handling of the ongoing demonstrations made his position untenable. 

“Since the onset of this demonstration, I have done everything possible to keep this city safe and to put an end to this unprecedented and unforeseeable crisis,” Sloly said in his statement posted to Twitter.

“It has been a difficult journey, but I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished.”

https://twitter.com/OPSChiefSloly/status/1493692342909427719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1493692342909427719%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fsloly-ottawa-resigns-behaviour-leadership-1.6352295 

Ottawa mayor Jim Watson said on Power and Politics today that he believed Sloly “made the right decision.”

“The tipping point for me was that we were seeing no noticeable action in clearing out the baseball stadium, Wellington street and residential areas,” the mayor told CBC.

In response to the resignation, convoy organizer Benjamin Dichter posted to Twitter asking Sloly to “come down to the convoy and say hello to us.”

“Haven’t I been saying for almost a week that Chief Sloly will be taking early retirement,” Dichter wrote. “We wish him all the best & thank him for his service…come down to the convoy and say hello to us. We know you were put in a difficult position.”

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube announced that Quebec would be the latest province to be getting rid of their provincial vaccine passport regime. 

“We’re doing it because it’s the right time to do it – because it’s safe for public health. And as I said, it’s there when we need it,” Minister Dube said. 

https://twitter.com/TrueNorthCentre/status/1493668754034765825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1493668754034765825%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftnc.news%2F2022%2F02%2F15%2Fbreaking-quebec-is-phasing-out-its-vaccine-passport-regime%2F 

As of Wednesday, unvaccinated Quebecers will no longer be banned from entering big-box stores, liquor stores or cannabis shops, and by Feb. 21, they will no longer need to show proof of vaccination to enter church or to attend weddings or funerals. 

Quebec announced that all remaining mandates would be lifted on March 14. 

Read more about Quebec’s announcement here.

The federal government also announced a slight easing of travel measures today. 

As of Feb. 28, vaccinated Canadians will have the option of presenting a negative rapid antigen test or a molecular PCR test in order to meet pre-entry requirements. 

Unvaccinated Canadians will still be required to be tested on arrival, and a mandatory 14-day quarantine is still in force, but unvaccinated children will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days before returning to school or daycare. 

Read more about the latest travel restrictions here.

In Ottawa, protesters were again seen dancing today, and the trucks along Wellington street have not been moved by law enforcement. 

A touching moment at the Coutts border was captured today and posted to social media as RCMP officers and demonstrators were seen hugging one another and shaking hands. 

This was the first viral interaction between law enforcement and protesters since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the Emergencies Act.

The crowd sings O Canada and then proceeds to shake hands with the officers and yell “freedom.”

Interactions between law enforcement and demonstrators in British Columbia were not as friendly as in Alberta, however.

Rebel News reported that protesters were being arrested at the Pacific Highway border blockade. 

True North will continue to post updates from across the country as protests continue.

The GiveSendGo fundraiser for the Freedom Convoy is now back up and running and had reached USD $9,263,15 by the time this article was published.

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