Toronto-based legal charity The Democracy Fund (TDF) has successfully overturned convictions against a group of Amish individuals fined for failing to use the federal government’s ArriveCan app.

More than $38,000 in fines have now been waived after months of legal advocacy.

The Amish, who crossed into Canada via Niagara Falls during the COVID-19 pandemic, were charged under the Quarantine Act for not completing the mandatory ArriveCan submission via the controversial and flawed cell phone application —something their faith and traditional lifestyle, which eschews modern technology, made effectively impossible.

Many were convicted in absentia, never properly notified of their trial dates or charges, and subsequently saddled with tens of thousands in fines.

TDF lawyers argued that the convictions violated due process and unfairly targeted individuals for their religiously-motivated refusal to use smartphones or digital services. After seven months of negotiations and court appearances, a judge agreed: the convictions were set aside, and the fines erased.

🚨UPDATE: TDF secures new victory for Amish: over $38,000 in fines waived

TDF secures new victory for Amish facing ArriveCan-related tickets: more than $38,000 in fines waived.

NIAGARA FALLS, ON: The Democracy Fund (TDF) has achieved a significant legal victory for a group of… pic.twitter.com/0V5g8nRRPO

— The Democracy Fund (@TDF_Can) June 5, 2025

“This outcome is a testament to the importance of access to justice for all Canadians, regardless of their background or way of life,” said TDF Litigation Director Mark Joseph. “We are pleased that these families can now move forward without the burden of these oppressive fines.”

The Amish families involved rely on farming and tight-knit community support. The risk of being financially ruined over pandemic-era tech mandates was not just unjust—it threatened their very way of life.

TDF continues to represent other members of the Amish community and Canadians caught in the web of bureaucratic overreach during COVID. The organization fights for constitutional rights and due process in an era where those ideals have often taken a back seat to politics and compliance theater.

HELP THE AMISH

A small, peaceful Amish community in Ontario was hit with hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID fines because they didn’t comply with the government’s ArriveCAN app — an app they had no way to use, on phones they don’t own. Most never even knew they’d been convicted until liens appeared on their farms. Your donations are working: The Democracy Fund has identified 32 affected families, and 24 have now had their fines stayed or zeroed out entirely. But eight families were refused, and their appeal is now before the Ontario Court of Justice. One family alone still owes $13,000 plus interest — a devastating sum for people who live on subsistence farming and the cash sale of homemade jams, pickles and quilts. Please chip in right here to fund their legal defence. Your donation goes directly to legal representation to fight these unjust fines. (The Democracy Fund is a registered Canadian charity, so you’ll receive a tax receipt for your contribution!)

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