Crown drops COVID-related charges against Sloan, Hillier
COVID-19-related charges against former Ontario MP Derek Sloan and former Ontario MP Randy Hillier have been dropped by prosecutors, the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) says.
Mr. Hillier, a former Ontario MP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, and Mr. Sloan, a former MP for Hastings-Lennox and Addington, are both believed to have attended a protest rally in 2021 during provincial health regulations banning outdoor gatherings. The men were fined up to $100,000 each for attending the protest.
The JCCF announced in a July 12 press release that the Crown Attorney had agreed on June 29 to drop the charges in exchange for a modest charitable donation or volunteer service from Mr Hiller and Mr Sloan.
Mr. Hillier fulfilled his volunteer obligation at a local food bank in Lanark County, and Mr. Sloan made an unspecified charitable donation.
On April 8, 2021, the Ontario government declared a state of emergency due to an increase in COVID-19 cases. The government followed suit by imposing a ban on gatherings. Both men attended a protest on April 25, 2021 to oppose the COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.
“The lockdowns of the Ontario government, which effectively banned all political protest, posed a serious threat to our freedom in Canada. The restrictions may be over now, but there was no indication then how long they would last. Two weeks turned into two months, which turned into almost two years of failed COVID policies,” said Mr Sloan said at the release.
“I am proud to have fought this tyranny along with many other brave Canadians. The Stratford prosecutor made the right choice and it is now up to other prosecutors in other districts to drop these pointless charges,” he said.
Mr. Hillier has launched a charter challenge to the lockdowns that banned all open air protests and will claim they were an unjustified violation of his rights. The hearing is scheduled for July 27-28, 2023.
