OTTAWA — Tyson “Freedom George” Billingscharged out of theOttawa courthouse on Wednesday, brandishing a Canada flag to a cacophony of cheers and air horns after pleading guilty to a charge related to the convoy protest that seized the city earlier this year.
Billings spent 116 days in jail before pleading guilty to counselling to commit mischief. The Crown withdrew other charges, including intimidation, obstructing police, mischief and disobeying a court order.
“I don’t regret it. I’m a freedom fighter,” Billings said outside the courthouse, minutes after his release, to the jubilation of about 50 supporters, including some who took part in the February protests.
Nicknamed “Freedom George” by his fellow protesters, Billings was a key figure in the three-week demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions and the Liberal government, though Crown counsel Moiz Karimjee was careful to point out that he was not one of the leaders.
Protesters in big-rigs and other trucks blocked downtown streets for weeks and formed encampments, which forced businesses to close and sparked a sense of what police and politicians described as “lawlessness” in downtown Ottawa.
According to the agreed statement of facts read aloud in court, Billings was captured in social media videos disobeying police checkpoints designed to keep people out of downtown Ottawa during the protest and encouraging others to thwart the checkpoints too.
Billings also recorded himself being belligerent toward police and encouraging other protesters to “hold the line.”
“I got caught up in the moment, sure, who wouldn’t,” Billings said after leaving court. “I don’t regret anything.”
Billings said he “went to jail for the kids,” to have mask mandates repealed in schools.
Karimjee said in court he could have sought to prove the other allegations made against Billings and seek a lengthier jail sentence but opted not to in light of the fact that Billings is the first figure in the convoy to accept responsibility for his actions.
Billings was sentenced to time served and a six-month probation under the condition that he keeps the peace.
“You must not make the law, regardless of what your views are on various issues,” Karimjee said.
Before his release, Billings listened to the court proceedings from the prisoner’s box with his arms folded over his black T-shirt that read “Fear God, not COVID.”
Jake Chadi, the defence lawyer for Billings, told the court that his client believed he was “morally justified” to do what he did during the Ottawa protest.
“He has every opportunity, every right to do what he did. But he can’t break the law” and Billings understands that, Chadi said.
Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger said he agreed to release Billings at the joint request of the Crown and defence because Billings accepted responsibility.
He said sentencing is not about retribution. He also said that it was OK to believe in a cause but that it can “get out of hand.”
Billings was originally co-accused with prominent protest organizer Pat King and was described in the agreed statement of facts as have a “close association” with King.
Now that the balance of Billings’ charges have been withdrawn, King will face those charges alone and his trial is expected to go ahead as planned.
Billings said he would return to Alberta to “heal up.” His lawyer said in court that Billings plans to work on his family’s farm in High Prairie, Alta. and take up a job in logging.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2022.
KITCHENER, Ont. – Prosecutors are arguing a man who stabbed a professor and two students in a University of Waterloo gender studies class last year should face a lengthy sentence because of the attack’s lasting impact on campus safety and security.
Federal prosecutor Althea Francis says a sentence in the upper range is appropriate not only because Geovanny Villalba-Aleman wanted to send a message about his views but also because he sought to make those with different beliefs feel unsafe.
The Crown has said it is seeking a sentence of 16 years for Villalba-Aleman, who pleaded guilty to four charges in the June 2023 campus attack.
The sentencing hearing for Villalba-Aleman began Monday and is expected to continue all week.
Federal prosecutors argued Tuesday that Villalba-Aleman’s statement to police, and a manifesto that was found on his phone, show his actions were motivated by ideology and meant to intimidate a segment of the population.
Villalba-Aleman pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm.
A video of his statement to police was shown in court earlier in the sentencing hearing.
In the video, Villalba-Aleman told police he felt colleges and universities were imposing ideology and restricting academic freedom, and he wanted the attack to serve as a “wake-up call.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
OTTAWA – The Bank of Canada cut its key policy interest rate by 50 basis points on Wednesday to bring it to 3.75 per cent. Here’s what people are saying about the decision:
“High inflation and interest rates have been a heavy burden for Canadians. With inflation now back to target and interest rates continuing to come down, families, businesses and communities should feel some relief.” — Tiff Macklem, Bank of Canada governor.
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“Activity in Canada’s housing market has been sluggish in many regions due to higher borrowing costs, but today’s more aggressive cut to lending rates could cause the tide to turn quickly. For those with variable rate mortgages – who will benefit from the rate drop immediately – or those with fast-approaching loan renewals, today’s announcement is welcome news indeed.” — Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage.
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“This won’t be the end of rate cuts. Even with the succession of policy cuts since June, rates are still way too high given the state of the economy. To bring rates into better balance, we have another 150 bps in cuts pencilled in through 2025. So while the pace of cuts going forward is now highly uncertain, the direction for rates is firmly downwards.” — James Orlando, director and senior economist at TD Bank.
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“The size of the December rate cut will depend on upcoming job and inflation data, but a 25 basis point cut remains our baseline.” — Tu Nguyen, economist with assurance, tax and consultancy firm RSM Canada.
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“Today’s outsized rate cut is mostly a response to the heavy-duty decline in headline inflation in the past few months. However, the underlying forecast and the Bank’s mild tone suggest that the future default moves will be 25 bp steps, unless growth and/or inflation surprise again to the downside.” — Douglas Porter, chief economist at Bank of Montreal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
