A Freedom Convoy protester whose bank accounts were frozen under the Emergencies Act is appealing his conviction and arguing an Ontario court failed to properly consider whether the financial sanctions violated his Charter rights.The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms said lawyers it is funding will appear before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Thursday to appeal the conviction of Evan Blackman.Blackman was convicted in November 2025 of mischief and obstructing police following his arrest during the February 2022 police operation that cleared the Freedom Convoy protest from downtown Ottawa.He received a conditional discharge, 12 months of probation, 122 hours of community service and a $200 victim fine surcharge.At his original trial in October 2023, Blackman was acquitted of all charges. According to the Justice Centre, the evidence in that trial consisted mainly of a 14-minute drone video and testimony from one police officer.The trial judge found the officer's memory unreliable and described Blackman as a "peacemaker," noting video evidence showed him trying to deescalate interactions between protesters and police.The Crown successfully appealed the acquittal, leading to a retrial and Blackman's conviction..The new appeal asks the court to consider whether the trial judge applied the wrong legal test when dismissing Blackman's application for a stay of proceedings under section 24(1) of the Charter.That section allows courts to grant remedies when Charter rights have been infringed.Blackman's lawyers are also challenging the court's refusal to consider whether the freezing of his bank accounts violated section 8 of the Charter, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure.Constitutional lawyer Chris Fleury said freezing a person's bank accounts represents an extraordinary use of state power."Freezing someone's bank account is an extraordinary use of state power," Fleury said. "When the government interferes with a person's ability to access their own money, courts must carefully examine whether those actions respected the protections guaranteed by the Charter."Fleury said the appeal asks the court to consider whether the financial measures and the police enforcement operation in Ottawa were part of the same coordinated effort to remove protesters."This appeal asks the Court to properly consider whether the financial measures and the police enforcement operation in Ottawa were part of the same coordinated effort to remove protestors," he said.
