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GSPS has ticketed organizers of March 20 ‘Freedom Rally’

Two unnamed organizers heading to court in July
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Upwards of 200 people gathered in downtown Sudbury on March 20 for the Rally of Freedom protest against COVID-19 restrictions. Organizers of the event have been ordered to appear in court.

The organizers of the March 20 ‘Freedom Rally’ in downtown Sudbury have each been issued tickets by Greater Sudbury Police.

The event drew upwards of 200 people, who crowded the sidewalk along Paris Street in front of Tom Davies Square last Saturday for several hours.

Police spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn said on March 25, officers issued Part III summons to the two unnamed organizers under the Reopening Ontario Act. She said it is GSPS policy not to name people charged with a provincial offence.

Dunn explained that police have the discretion to fine the individuals directly or to issue a summons for them to answer to the charge in court.

“Under the Reopening Ontario Act, officers can issue a Part I Provincial Offence Notice with a set fine or a Part III summons with no set fine and a court date to an individual found to be in contravention of the Act,” she told Sudbury.com in an email. “Depending on the circumstances of the situation, officers may choose to forgo a set fine and issue a Part III summons that provides an individual with a court date where the case will be presented before a justice of the peace.”

If found guilty, the justice of the peace will determine the severity of the sentence imposed, which can range from a fine to jail time.

Under the Act, the set fine amounts are $750 for those who fail to comply with an order (or $1,000 for a corporation). A fine of $1,000 can be issued for anyone who prevents an enforcement officer from enforcing the orders. 

If convicted, the maximum fines range from $100,000 for an individual (and could include up to a year in jail) to $10 million for a corporation. 

The two people who organized the ‘World Wide Rally for Anti-lockdown’ on March 20 have a court date of July 6.

Two more anti-lockdown rallies are planned for this weekend, according to a Facebook post from a group called MADSudbury.


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