The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said COVID-19 tickets against an Ontario family who were charged under the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA) for having a small birthday party have been dropped. .“While we are pleased that the charges have been dropped, it is concerning that these charges were laid at all,” said JCCF lawyer Christopher Naimi in a Wednesday press release. .“This is the kind of story you hear in authoritarian regimes, where police knock on your door at night for merely holding a gathering.”.The Ontario government issued a stay-at-home order in 2021 restricting people from leaving their homes except for activities the government deemed important. The family gathered at their mother’s home to celebrate a birthday soon after. .The release said an Ontario Provincial Police officer showed up that evening and told them to disperse within 10 minutes or be ticketed for obstructing an officer and violating the stay-at-home orders. It said one of the family members departed at this point, but the rest decided to remain in the home. .The release went on to say five of the family members, including the person who had departed, received a summons for obstructing an officer and attending a gathering contrary to the stay-at-home orders. It added the mother was given an additional charge for hosting a gathering contrary to the orders. .Each family member faced fines of about $1,850. The JCCF retained lawyer Bally Hundal to represent the family in this matter..Hundal was successful in negotiating with the Crown to drop the charges in exchange for the family making a modest charitable donation. The Crown said prosecution was no longer in the public interest when it dropped the charges..“The right to peaceful assembly is an enshrined constitutional right, whether it is a public political demonstration or an intimate family gathering,” said Naimi. .The JCCF was successful in having an Ontario Crown attorney withdraw COVID-19 tickets against former independent MP Derek Sloan, former independent MPP Randy Hillier, Church of God pastor Henry Hildebrandt, and private citizen Dan Stasko in September. .READ MORE: Ontario Crown drops COVID charges against Sloan, Hillier.“Peaceful demonstration is an essential pillar of a democratic society,” said JCCF lawyer Henna Parmar. .The four men were allegedly involved in peaceful rallies against COVID-19 restrictions in 2021 and were charged with violating public health measures under the ROA. After negotiations with Hundal, the Crown attorney dropped all charges, saying prosecution was no longer in the public interest.
