The Ontario Court of Appeal has delivered a unanimous blow to the province’s lockdown tyranny, overturning former politician Randy Hillier’s conviction for protesting in 2021.

This decision isn’t just a personal win — it’s a landmark ruling for every Canadian fed up with government overreach.

Back in April and May 2021, Ontario banned all peaceful outdoor protests. Zero tolerance, no exceptions — unlike the 10-person limit the Premier Doug Ford's government imposed for weddings or church.

Hillier, then an MPP, defied the order, leading rallies across the province and facing fines up to $100,000. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, led by John Carpay, fought back. 

Carpay joined last night's episode of The Ezra Levant Show for an exclusive in-depth discussion about the case and how, after losing at trial, the JCCF won big on appeal.

The court shredded the ban as an “unjustified violation” of Charter rights, specifically freedom of peaceful assembly, specifically on section 2(c). 

It’s the first appellate ruling to define this freedom, rejecting virtual substitutes like Zoom and affirming the need for in-person protest. One judge wrote, “Even in an emergency, the Charter does not fade from view,” a sharp rebuke to pandemic power grabs.

The precedent binds Ontario’s trial courts. It likely ends Hillier’s fines and possibly others’ charges, too. It echoes Alberta’s 2023 Ingram ruling, where lockdowns were finally ended and prosecutions stopped.

The Supreme Court might not even touch this airtight decision.

Hillier, a prickly outsider, took the risk — and won. But Carpay cautions that a 10-person limit might’ve sunk the case. Courts still haven’t faced the full lockdown harm.

The fight continues, but this victory proves the Charter still has teeth.

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