Ontario government censors man holding officials accountable for pandemic lockdowns
George Katerberg, a retired HVAC technician, shuttered his business after the COVID pandemic. In response, he rented a billboard near Thessalon, Ontario to peacefully express his frustration.
A constitutional challenge has been launched against one Ontario Ministry for its alleged role in censoring a billboard criticizing politicians.
George Katerberg, a retired HVAC technician, shuttered his business after the COVID pandemic. In response, he rented a billboard along Highway 17 near Thessalon, where he resides, to vent his frustration.
It displayed the faces of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Theresa Tam, and the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“They knowingly lied about safety and stopping transmission,” it read. “Canadians demand accountability.”
However, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation denied him permission to erect the billboard in March for its alleged use of ‘white supremacist’ imagery.
Premier Doug Ford reflects on his handling of COVID-19, saying Ontario "did extremely well compared to the rest of the world."
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) March 11, 2024
Ford oversaw one of the longest, most tyrannical lockdowns in the Western world, where individual rights and freedoms were trampled. pic.twitter.com/XCnrOqLJ8N
The sign, in addition to portraits of senior health officials and political leaders, featured an image of two hammers behind a Canadian flag. It paid homage to the 1979 Pink Floyd album, The Wall, which addressed government overreach.
Katerberg condemned senior health officials and political leaders for imposing draconian lockdowns that impaired countless lives and livelihoods for years.
However, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation claimed it was a white supremacist dog whistle. Unbeknownst to Katerberg, the hammer image was later used by an American white supremacy music group over 30 years ago.
The Ministry ordered that Katerberg contact them in advance for pre-approval of future signs. He immediately removed the billboard sign, and redesigned the billboard without the two hammers. Katerberg submitted the sign to the Ministry for approval on June 18, 2024.
Ten days later, the Ministry of Transportation denied the proposed sign, advising him it “may be seen as promoting hatred or contempt for the individuals pictured.”
Ontario Liberal Leader, Steven Del Duca, calls out Doug Ford for "trampling on Charter Rights" throughout the lockdowns and enforcement:
— Efrain Flores Monsanto 🇨🇦🚛 (@realmonsanto) May 16, 2022
"playgrounds and police?"
Despite himself promoting vaccine mandates, including for children to enter the classroom.https://t.co/UPKf52AKWu pic.twitter.com/W0TVmK7XXo
Katerberg, represented by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, is now asking the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario for a judicial review of the decision. They filed a Notice of Application on behalf of the entrepreneur last month.
“With help from the Justice Centre, Mr. Katerberg is standing up for freedom of expression and democratic accountability,” reads a statement.
Katerberg alleges the June 28 decision did not uphold his Charter right to freedom of expression, which it was required to do. “The sign’s message to the public was about holding government officials accountable, which is essential to democracy,” says the Justice Centre.
With help from the Justice Centre, George Katerberg has launched a constitutional challenge against the Ontario Ministry of Transportation @ONtransport after they denied him permission to display a billboard criticizing several government officials for their response to the… pic.twitter.com/tVXoa33iht
— Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (@JCCFCanada) August 6, 2024
“The Sign does not promote violence, hatred, or contempt… Further, the Sign does not target any identifiable group,” the Notice of Application states.
“To the extent that the six well-known public figures featured on the Sign form a group at all, it is on the basis of their collective response to the Covid-19 pandemic in their political and/or professional capacity,” it reads.
Katerberg’s legal counsel, Chris Fleury, maintains the proposed sign was “legitimate expression protected by the Charter.”
“In a functioning democracy, individuals like Mr. Katerberg need to be able to express their dissatisfaction with public officials,” he said. “Doing so is not promoting hatred. Mr. Katerberg is looking forward to his day in Court and to eventually being able to erect his billboard.”
Rebel News attempted to contact the Justice Centre for comment but did not hear back at publication.
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