Category: COVID-19 Mandates

Ottawa Mayor Rejects Feds’ Offer to Take Over Wellington Street and Keep It Closed in Wake of Convoy Protest

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has rejected an offer by the federal government to take over a section of Wellington Street that runs past Parliament Hill with the aim of “maintaining the current road closure” in the aftermath of the Freedom Convoy protest. In a written response on April 6, Sutcliffe reminded Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek…


Ontario Doctors Critical of COVID Policy Bring New Challenge Against College Censure

Disciplinary investigations against three Ontario doctors should never have started, their lawyer says, because they were breaching “mere guidelines” related to COVID-19 and not breaking a code of professional conduct. The doctors—Crystal Luchkiw, Patrick Phillips, and Mark Trozzi—seemed to take a blow earlier this year when a tribunal rejected their motion to halt proceedings. But lawyer…


COVID Charges Against Ontario Pastor and His Family Dropped

Charges against an Ontario pastor and his family for joining a rally in 2021, when the province’s COVID-19 gathering limits were in place, were dropped, according to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF). In a news release on March 9, the Justice Centre said charges against Henry Hildebrandt, his son Herbert Hildebrandt, and his…


Federal Court Rejects AG’s Attempt to Dismiss Motion Seeking to Admit More Evidence Concerning Emergencies Act Invocation

A Federal Court judge has ruled against an attempt by Canada’s attorney general to dismiss a motion seeking to allow admission of more evidence that would help the court understand how cabinet made decisions regarding invocation of the Emergencies Act and whether it broke the law. In his ruling on Jan. 27, Justice Richard Mosley…


City of Ottawa Says Thousands of Tickets Issued During Freedom Convoy Protest Unpaid After One Year

The City of Ottawa said thousands of tickets issued during last year’s “Freedom Convoy” protest have not been paid, with only about half of the total value of the fines received after one year. Between Jan. 28 and Feb. 18, 2022, when protesters gathered at the national capital, officials handed out a total of 3,812…


San Diego Sunsets COVID-19 Emergency, City Employee Vaccine Mandate

SAN DIEGO—The San Diego City Council Jan. 24 voted to end the city’s COVID-19 emergency declaration and a city employee vaccine mandate at the end of February. Mayor Todd Gloria, City Attorney Mara Elliott, and City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert on Monday released a joint statement proposing to end the emergency declaration—which had been in…


Ontario Doctors Critical COVID Policies Rejected by Medical College in Their Motion to Stop Disciplinary Hearings

An Ontario medical college tribunal has rejected a motion by three doctors critical of COVID-19 policies who sought to stop disciplinary hearings against them. The doctors are at risk of losing their licences for allegedly committing professional misconduct in certain actions they engaged in while taking issue with some of the COVID-related public health directions…


Nevada’s New Governor Rescinds All COVID-19 Mandates

Nevada’s newly minted Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, said Friday that he signed his first two executive orders, including one that repeals all COVID-19 mandates from the prior administration. Lombardo, former sheriff of Clark County, was sworn into office as the state’s 31st governor on Jan. 2, pledging to “follow the Nevada Way.” The first of…


Emergencies Act Inquiry Studies Fundamental Rights and Freedoms at Stake in Protests

The inquiry into the Liberal government’s historic choice to invoke the Emergencies Act to quell weeks-long demonstrations against COVID-19 mandates last winter is now moving into its public policy phase. The Public Order Emergency Commission is expected to hear this week from about 50 experts who will share their perspectives on the use of the…


Pharmaceutical Firm Sued For Alleged Illegal Denial of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Exemptions

A federal lawsuit has been filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals by some of its former employees who blame the firm for not having provided religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccines. Headquartered in Tokyo, Takeda is a multinational enterprise with nearly 50,000 employees worldwide and the largest pharma company in Asia. The lawsuit, filed on Nov. 18…