No permits permitted for waterfront rallies

The City of North Bay confirms the Freedom Rally gatherings that have been held every two weeks since March — in and around the Rotary Rotunda at the waterfront — have taken place without the proper municipal permits.

"A Parks Permit is required for the use of any of the City’s park areas for organized activities," advises Communications Officer Gord Young. "The City has not, and will not, be issuing any permits at this time due to the COVID-19 restrictions that are currently in place."

According to the fee schedule from the City's website, a half-day permit for an organized event at a park/shelter with less than 200 people costs $37.68. The use of Hydro for a half-day (four hours or less) is valued at $31.26. This gives a total of $68.94 plus HST for four Freedom Rally events since March 20 or $275.76 plus HST to date.

It is unclear if the City has the ability to collect these permit fees retroactively but Freedom Rally organizers have declared they will return to the waterfront every two Saturdays until the lockdowns are lifted. By that schedule, the next rally will take place this Saturday.

Young adds, "When it comes to enforcement of large group gatherings such as protests and rallies," the City of North Bay has "relied on police due to the potential for confrontations and concern for the safety of our employees and the public."

The waterfront events have been observed at a distance by North Bay Police Service officers and tickets for illegally gathering under the Reopening Ontario Act have been typically issued at a later date — often at the homes of the participants — for similar reasons of public and officer safety, according to NBPS.

Health officials joined law enforcement in discouraging the gatherings. First NBPS warned the organizers and participants, then maintained a limited presence, then observed the proceedings, then handed out tickets totalling some $15,000 so far.

Some of those who received tickets have questioned their validity and have vowed to fight them in court.

See: Opinion: Advice given at Freedom Rally is pseudo-legal nonsense

The events organized by the Northern Freedom Alliance have been peaceful but divisive in the community. At the May 1 rally, embattled business owner Alex Stewart addressed the group and thanked them for their support in the wake of the shut down of her business by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit — and Stewart's subsequent pledge to fight the action.

The host of these events, the Northern Freedom Alliance, bills itself as a group of "concerned citizens and business owners in Northern Ontario defending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms from the rising threat," of authoritarianism due to the pandemic.

See also: Freedom rally supporters say restrictions are harming our children

The alliance's mission statement supports ending the lockdowns "to ensure that all businesses remain open, that accurate information is shared with the public, and that medical freedom is honoured," via education on freedoms regarding personal and business matters, peaceful demonstrations, and a campaign demanding accountability from decision-makers.

The rallies are not limited to North Bay. In Sudbury and Kirkland Lake, police there have been ticketing attendees and, in Barrie, the police service says it has received help from the family members of rally participants to identify them. 

According to BarrieToday, rallies have been held weekly there. They are described as family-friendly events and include bouncy castles and hot dogs. Similar to the North Bay situation, the organizer of the Barrie events, Tyler Nicholson, and other participants have also received $750 tickets ($880 with court fees) under the Act. He plans a constitutional challenge to have the tickets thrown out of court as he claims the temporary emergency legislation does not take precedence over the Charter.

Some 350 people showed up to the May 8 rally — held in a parking lot — after the previous venue, Meridian Place was fenced off from protesters in response to an emergency order from Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman after seven weeks of rallies there.