An Ottawa Police officer sits in their cruiser on Wellington Street below Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. The criminal trial of two "Freedom Convoy" organizers will delve into how public transit was impacted by the three-week protest that clogged downtown Ottawa streets last year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – An Ottawa courtroom heard Friday that the city was seized during the “Freedom Convoy” protest last year, as protesters blocked streets and caused public transit to be rerouted away from downtown.
The fourth week of the criminal trial for organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber has been dedicated to hearing from Ottawa residents who lived or worked downtown during the protest.
On Friday the court heard from the person responsible for rerouting public transit routes and the owner of an upscale boutique in Ottawa’s ByWard Market.
“I saw our streets, I saw our city seized and completely overtaken by these so-called protesters,” Chantal Biro told the court.
She said there were far fewer customers at her store and a dramatic drop in sales when thousands of protesters arrived in Ottawa early last year to protest COVID-19 public health restrictions.
The streets near Biro’s shop were blocked by big-rigs and pickup trucks that blared their horns.
She recalled the smell of exhaust fumes from constantly running vehicles, and marijuana and cigarette smoke seeping into the stop.
She said she wasn’t able to get shipments delivered to the store, but was able to drive to her usual parking garage and walk to the store seven days each week. She avoided being outside because of unpleasant run-ins with some of the demonstrators, who mocked her for wearing a mask and swore at her when she asked them to move away from the doorway of her business.
None of the local witnesses the court heard from this week had any contact with Lich or Barber, who are both accused of mischief and counselling others to commit mischief, among other charges.
The blocked streets also impacted public transit routes through the core, OC Transpo’s Natalie Huneault testified Friday.
Huneault is responsible for planning detours to accommodate events and demonstrations that disrupt bus service in Ottawa. She told the court she redirected 18 routes that usually run through the downtown core.
That meant about 150 downtown bus stops were not in use during the demonstration because streets were blocked and closed.
Instead, OC Transpo arranged for an extraordinary shuttle bus to pick up residents.
Before the convoy arrived, she said the event that caused the longest transit disruption was Italian Fest, which lasted three days.
The convoy disruptions lasted more than three weeks.
Barber’s lawyer, Marwa Younes, reminded the court that other things have led to longer delays, including construction and road closures.
Friday was scheduled to be the final day of the criminal trial, but it is now expected to continue for several more weeks.
There are still several names on the Crown’s list of witnesses, including Zexi Li, the lead plaintiff in a proposed class-action lawsuit against the organizers on behalf of people who live and work in downtown Ottawa.
Biro told the court that she has taken steps to join that class action on behalf of her business.
The court also expects to hear from police officers who were responsible for liaising with protesters.
Before court adjourned Friday, the lawyers discussed some of the challenges in scheduling more time for the trial and the disclosure of evidence to the defence before more police officers take the stand.
Barber’s other lawyer, Diane Magas, raised the issue of timing. The Supreme Court’s Jordan decision stipulates that any person charged with a crime has the right to be tried within a reasonable time frame, which the court has ruled to be 18 months.
“Jordan is very much an issue in this case, at this time,” Magas said.
The trial is expected to resume Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2023.
