Testifying at the criminal trial of Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber on Oct. 13, several Ottawa residents said they were harassed by protesters for wearing masks outside.
“I didn’t feel safe. I was getting comments and insults. I was wearing a mask, because we were supposed to be wearing a mask at the time, and because of that, that would attract attention. So I would just try to avoid any run-ins as much as possible,” testified Chantel Biro, who owns a women’s clothing store on Sussex Drive near the Byward Market in downtown Ottawa.
Ms. Biro is one of eight Crown witnesses testifying at the trial of Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber, two of the most well-known organizers of the Freedom Convoy, the large-scale trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates that took place from late January to mid-February 2022. The two are charged with counselling to disobey a court order, counselling to obstruct police, and mischief that interferes with the use and enjoyment of property.
Ms. Biro described to the court how she heard people speaking loudly through megaphones.
“I heard the word ‘freedom’ yelled out a lot. I heard loud music, almost as loud as the horns playing continuously. I heard a lot of swearing,” she said.
Ms. Biro testified that many protesters mingled and smoked cigarettes in front of her store and that the smoke would seep into the building. When she asked them to move, their reactions were mixed, she said.
“Some people just didn’t say anything, just moved away,” she said, adding that others laughed and swore at her.
The store owner said her sales “dropped dramatically” due to the protest, as many customers chose not to come downtown to her shop, and clothing shipments were unable to arrive at her store due to the streets being blocked by trucks.
Ms. Biro also postponed a trip to Toronto to buy clothing items “for fear of being caught in the traffic and not being able to get back to Ottawa.”
During cross-examination, she was asked if she witnessed any of the protesters hugging, dancing in the street, or playing with children. She answered that she had heard about those things happening but did not witness them.
Longer Commutes
The court also heard from Stephane Bellfoy, a downtown Ottawa resident who said he was impacted by the three-week protest. Mr. Bellfoy, whose testimony was translated from French to English, said he was working in the Ottawa suburb of Blackburn Hamlet during the protest. He said traffic disruptions caused by the convoy turned his typically 20-minute commute into 1.5 hours at one point.“I was trying to sleep, and sometimes that worked, and other times it didn’t,” he said.
Mr. Bellfoy also testified that one night, due to traffic disruption because trucks had blocked the streets, his son was forced to walk 1.5 kilometres home from his hockey rink in full hockey equipment, including wearing skates, and on the way, several protesters made fun of him for wearing a mask outside.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Diane Magas asked why Mr. Bellfoy’s son was wearing hockey gear after the game. He replied that because of COVID-19 restrictions, the kids were asked to arrive at the arena in full gear to reduce virus transmission. Mr. Bellfoy said he had not anticipated it would be necessary to bring shoes for his son.
Natalie Huneault, business projects and events coordinator for OC Transpo, testified that the Freedom Convoy protests resulted in service to 150 bus stops being paused, as demonstrators blocked many roads downtown.
Ms. Huneault said that from Jan. 28 to Feb. 23, a total of 18 or 19 bus routes were impacted by the protesters. She told the court that from traffic cameras in her office, she saw “vehicles taking up the entire roadway space, not leaving room for vehicles to pass by.”
She added that while Ottawa’s LRT wasn’t impacted by the convoy, a door leading to the subway on the corner of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive was closed due to “convoy participants occupying that space.”
The Crown has plans to call employees from the National Arts Centre and OC Transpo, the City of Ottawa’s public-transit operator, to testify.
