Provincial restrictions on gatherings that prohibited peaceful protests in Ontario for several weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic were unconstitutional, the province's top court ruled Monday.
The Court of Appeal for Ontario made the finding in a case brought by former Ontario legislator Randy Hillier, who faced several charges for organizing or hosting protests against pandemic measures while the rules were in effect in the spring of 2021.
Hillier appealed after the judge who heard his application found that while the limits on gatherings did infringe on his right to peaceful assembly, they were demonstrably justified and therefore constitutional.