An Ontario judge has ordered the RCMP and TD Bank to hand over records related to the freezing of Evan Blackman’s bank accounts during the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa.Blackman was arrested on February 18, 2022, under the federal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act, and charged with mischief and obstruction. He was acquitted in October 2023, but the Crown appealed and a new trial is set to begin on August 14, 2025.Blackman is now seeking access to records detailing how and why his accounts were frozen, to support a Charter application at his retrial. His lawyers argue the freeze was a serious violation of his constitutional rights and plan to ask the court to stay the case..“The freezing of Mr. Blackman’s bank accounts was an extreme overreach on the part of the police and the federal government,” said Chris Fleury, a constitutional lawyer representing Blackman. “These records will hopefully reveal exactly how and why Mr. Blackman’s accounts were frozen.”Blackman welcomed the ruling. “I'm delighted that we will finally get records that may reveal why my bank accounts were frozen,” he said.The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is backing Blackman’s legal challenge, called the ruling a significant development. It is believed to be the first criminal case in Canada involving a proposed Charter challenge based on the freezing of personal bank accounts under the Emergencies Act.
An Ontario judge has ordered the RCMP and TD Bank to hand over records related to the freezing of Evan Blackman’s bank accounts during the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa.Blackman was arrested on February 18, 2022, under the federal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act, and charged with mischief and obstruction. He was acquitted in October 2023, but the Crown appealed and a new trial is set to begin on August 14, 2025.Blackman is now seeking access to records detailing how and why his accounts were frozen, to support a Charter application at his retrial. His lawyers argue the freeze was a serious violation of his constitutional rights and plan to ask the court to stay the case..“The freezing of Mr. Blackman’s bank accounts was an extreme overreach on the part of the police and the federal government,” said Chris Fleury, a constitutional lawyer representing Blackman. “These records will hopefully reveal exactly how and why Mr. Blackman’s accounts were frozen.”Blackman welcomed the ruling. “I'm delighted that we will finally get records that may reveal why my bank accounts were frozen,” he said.The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is backing Blackman’s legal challenge, called the ruling a significant development. It is believed to be the first criminal case in Canada involving a proposed Charter challenge based on the freezing of personal bank accounts under the Emergencies Act.
