Police make $750 house calls in Freedom Rally aftermath

One of the attendees of last weekend's Freedom Rally tells BayToday they have been issued a $750 ticket for contravening the Reopening Ontario Act.

This source — who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity — also says they are aware of other participants and organizers receiving tickets for their roles in the most recent of three rallies held at the waterfront in North Bay.

"I can confirm that members of the North Bay Police Service issued tickets to certain individuals at their places of residence for violations of the Reopening Ontario Act in relation to the April 17 gathering at the waterfront," David Woolley, Corporate Communications Officer for NBPS tells BayToday.

It is not yet clear how many tickets in total have been issued.

Last Saturday in Sudbury, attendees of a rally there said they received $10,000 in tickets from police and by-law officers at the rally itself.

NBPS indicated it preferred a different approach when issuing tickets in the interest of public safety and that of its officers.

"Officers did not issue tickets at that time, but were gathering information and monitoring the event," advised Woolley following the rally.

Safety is always at the forefront for responding officers and Woolley says the COVID-19 pandemic only intensifies the need for a measured response. Police officers mostly remained in their cruisers, watching while the speeches were made. They remained at a distance from the participants, observing and collecting information.

The source from the rally adds they plan to fight the ticket — which was issued at their doorstep by two officers from the North Bay Police Service — in court, as do several of the others. At the last rally, a speaker promised the supporters of the Northern Freedom Alliance would return every two Saturdays to the waterfront until the orders were lifted. 

"We're not going to stop protesting," they added. "I know the law is the law but sometimes common sense supersedes — we're down there protesting every two weeks for a couple of hours. What would be the big deal not to hand out the tickets?"

Police Chief Scott Tod warned the group ahead of Saturday's rally saying, “The North Bay Police Service respects the right of every Canadian to protest. However, there is currently a Declaration of Emergency and provincial Stay-at-Home Order in effect. If we observe individuals deliberately violating the Reopening Ontario Act and putting the safety of others at risk, we will be required to do our job and enforce the law. That includes the possibility to laying charges.”

And, NBPS also issued a statement about counter-protesters:

"We are also aware of a number of individuals who attended the waterfront to allegedly counter-protest. The presence at these rallies of counter-protesters also risks the spread of COVID-19 as well as potential confrontations between protesters and counter-protesters. While the NBPS respects everyone’s right to protest, the NBPS would like to remind the public that a declaration of emergency and stay-at-home order is in effect to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and that all individuals should follow public health guidelines."