Rebel News Podcast - Fight the Fines： How Rebels Stood Up for Civil Liberties through COVID-19

00:00:00.000 Hey, welcome my rebels. Today, oh my gosh, one of the favorite things we've done in 2020

00:00:04.360 is create a kind of public interest law firm called fightthefines.com. It's exactly what

00:00:10.180 it sounds like. If someone's civil liberties have been violated by some overzealous pandemic police,

00:00:16.080 well, we'll be there. It's great stories and I hope you enjoy today's Best of the Rebel.

00:00:21.720 I really wish you could see it though because these people, their faces, the sorrow and feeling

00:00:26.540 of alienation they have when they're accused of breaking the law just for living their lives

00:00:31.060 and then the relief they feel when we help them, it truly is touching. I found it some of the most

00:00:36.780 meaningful work we've done this year. You can get the video version of this podcast by going to

00:00:41.940 rebelnews.com and simply becoming a subscriber. It's only eight bucks a month or 80 bucks for the

00:00:47.020 whole year and you get the video version of this plus Sheila Gunn-Reed's show and David Menzies' show.

00:00:52.220 Okay, here's today's episode.

00:00:56.540 Tonight, another very special episode, the best of the rebel and our coverage of civil liberties

00:01:15.980 cases in the age of the pandemic. It's July 23rd and this is the Ezra Levant Show.

00:01:21.380 Why should others go to jail when you're a biggest carbon consumer I know?

00:01:27.160 There's 8,500 customers here and you won't give them an answer.

00:01:31.220 The only thing I have to say to the government about why I publish it is because it's my bloody right to do so.

00:01:37.100 Well, the pandemic is almost over. The death toll, 9,000. Each one a tragedy, but much less than the 50,000 to 350,000 predicted by Teresa Tam and Canada's public health officers.

00:01:57.520 In fact, it may turn out that the economic damage is the greatest damage to Canadian health.

00:02:03.320 And I put it to you that the violation of our civil liberties was a form of a pandemic, too, or at least an epidemic.

00:02:11.260 Well, Rebel News did more than just talk about it.

00:02:13.240 We fought back creating our own civil liberties public interest law firm.

00:02:18.540 Nobody else did, with the possible exception of our friend John Carpe of the JCCF.

00:02:23.440 So today, in a very special episode, I'd like to show you the best of some of the cases we've been fighting with FightTheFines.com.

00:02:34.320 In fact, we had our first victory last week.

00:02:37.660 Archer Pavlovsky, the Calgary pastor who was given a $1,000 fine for feeding the homeless,

00:02:43.160 well, the crown dropped the charges against him completely thanks to you, our Rebel viewers, and the lawyer you crowdfunded.

00:02:50.560 So without further ado, here is the best of FightTheFines.com.

00:02:56.100 Canadians are rapidly losing their civil liberties.

00:02:58.860 Over the course of this crisis, Justin Trudeau and leaders across the country are showing their true stripes,

00:03:03.680 as most government leaders tend to do.

00:03:05.960 Whether or not you elected them in good faith, whether or not you voted for them and were happy with them when they were elected,

00:03:12.220 everything changes when a crisis appears.

00:03:14.720 It gives leaders an opportunity to gain power that they never would have had the opportunity to get through democratic means.

00:03:23.180 Now, leaders are directing police officers, and sometimes police officers are even acting without direction from political leadership

00:03:30.580 to arrest or find people who they deem are breaking the rather haphazardly made laws.

00:03:37.480 Sometimes it's not even laws.

00:03:38.540 Sometimes it is just mentions in a press conference, as Justin Trudeau does every morning.

00:03:43.440 He might say something and police act on it, when maybe they shouldn't.

00:03:47.960 Now, across the country, from Vancouver to Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, and Toronto,

00:03:54.060 we are seeing cases pop up where people are getting fined for going about their day-to-day lives in very normal ways.

00:04:02.920 They're not risking anyone's health or safety.

00:04:05.520 They're simply doing what they need to do, from walking their dogs to getting regular exercise.

00:04:12.500 In the case today, it was a man in Calgary who was actually feeding the homeless when he was given a ticket.

00:04:19.520 You cannot make this up.

00:04:21.620 Archer Polarski received a ticket of over $1,000 for feeding the homeless.

00:04:29.260 Again, you cannot make this up.

00:04:31.300 This is not an event.

00:04:33.760 This is not your picnic in the neighborhood for the fun of it.

00:04:38.100 We are providing necessities of life to those that you and your bosses refuse to provide.

00:04:45.620 You've got all kinds of events happening right now,

00:04:49.840 and yet the Calgary's finest are not bothering them. 0.70

00:04:56.060 This is the hypocrisy of this city. 0.89

00:04:58.720 This is the hypocrisy of our wonderful, fearless leaders. 0.96

00:05:03.080 Where is the head named she? 0.99

00:05:05.120 The mayor of this city.

00:05:06.640 Can you guys do the respect for the social distancing?

00:05:08.740 He's allowed to get...

00:05:09.400 Stand back for me a little bit.

00:05:10.920 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

00:05:12.060 On your feet, stand back, okay?

00:05:14.240 Or what? 0.97

00:05:14.620 You're going to f***ing threaten me and f***ing a few feet? 0.96

00:05:17.180 Hey, guys, do not do that. 0.99

00:05:19.640 Tell him not to touch me.

00:05:21.120 Six feet away for everybody.

00:05:22.640 Back up now.

00:05:23.260 That's for everybody.

00:05:24.380 The police surrounded Archer while he was in downtown Calgary giving food to people in need.

00:05:30.680 They gave him this ticket, and we are going to help him fight it.

00:05:34.140 We put out a call at fightthefines.com.

00:05:37.020 We're saying we'll give legal help to anyone who needs it,

00:05:40.600 who was acting in good faith, going outside, and doing what they need to do to continue on with their lives.

00:05:45.700 They weren't being overly aggressive or hurting anyone or risking anyone's health or safety.

00:05:51.480 They were just doing what needed to be done.

00:05:53.420 And in the case of feeding the homeless outside, as Archer was, you can see in this video here,

00:05:58.340 he was simply feeding the homeless outside.

00:05:59.940 There's no safer way to do it.

00:06:01.620 In fact, he was speaking with me earlier when he mentioned that it is much healthier to feed them outside

00:06:06.400 because the alternative is taking them to a shelter where it's packed, they're indoors,

00:06:11.020 and it's much easier to spread COVID-19.

00:06:13.740 Well, since we launched our website, fightthefines.com,

00:06:19.560 in which we were looking for others who have been dealt very harshly,

00:06:25.260 many, many tips have come in, including that of a preacher, Andre Rose,

00:06:31.520 who lives and preaches out of his townhouse here in Cornwall, Ontario.

00:06:36.600 What happened to him, folks, was on the first eve of Passover earlier this month,

00:06:40.060 a neighbour, presumably, had phoned the police and said,

00:06:45.880 get over to this address because there are more than five people there.

00:06:51.620 In any event, the police came.

00:06:54.000 They walked up this pathway.

00:06:56.280 The window was open.

00:06:57.320 They looked in.

00:06:58.320 And the next thing Mr. Rose knew is that he was being handed an $880 ticket.

00:07:06.260 So, you guys know the Canadian Charter, right?

00:07:08.520 We have the right to peaceful assembly.

00:07:10.360 And municipalities, they can't.

00:07:11.340 During a regular time, yes, but this is a state of emergency that we're under.

00:07:15.180 Now, a lot of people would be saying,

00:07:17.920 well, don't you know the new rules during this period of the Wuhan virus?

00:07:23.780 You're not supposed to have a congregation here, more than five.

00:07:26.980 Well, frankly, this is my home, and we're celebrating Passover weekend.

00:07:31.780 And so, I think it's malicious what they're doing right now.

00:07:34.860 And I strongly feel like, you know, this is a hit for not just people that do have the coronavirus,

00:07:42.060 but for those that don't, you know, it's causing a lot of problems in society.

00:07:46.220 And, again, we were just having a setter night, and so we were five adults in total.

00:07:53.720 The police came and told us that we had to disassemble, and I said, no, I'm not disassembling.

00:07:57.680 And they gave us a ticket.

00:07:59.620 And Justin Trudeau traveled interprovincially, and he was five, you know, in his family.

00:08:05.200 And I don't think they were practicing the social distancing either.

00:08:08.220 So, even the police, when they're in the cruiser, they're sitting two in the cruiser.

00:08:12.160 They're not six feet away.

00:08:13.280 And when the cops came to the door, they were both on my doorstep.

00:08:16.760 So, that's not six feet, you know.

00:08:19.040 It's hard.

00:08:19.740 It's hard.

00:08:20.220 It's hard to comply sometimes because it's just a little bit absurd.

00:08:25.220 It really is.

00:08:25.980 Is $880 no big deal for you, or is it a bit of a big deal, especially during these hard times?

00:08:32.300 Well, $880 feeds me, my wife, and my son for almost two months.

00:08:36.980 So, you know, to fork up an extra $880, that's a lot of money, man.

00:08:41.940 It really is a lot of money, you know.

00:08:43.280 Especially for, I hear that the Dow is going down.

00:08:46.720 You know, the economy doesn't look good right now either with everything that's happening.

00:08:50.160 It looks like there's inflation coming.

00:08:52.180 So, I believe it's going to be hard for us.

00:08:54.280 You know, they're telling us to work at home.

00:08:56.160 There's been reports of close to a million people have been laid off, I think.

00:08:59.840 So, you know, it's hard.

00:09:01.660 I know that we're going to see a lot more people being tagged for $880.

00:09:04.560 There's a lot of people that are going to stand up and going to say no.

00:09:06.460 And so, I strongly feel like there's more to come.

00:09:09.700 You know, Andre, we feel that you've been hard done by.

00:09:14.180 First of all, the fine is outrageously high for the so-called crime that was committed.

00:09:19.780 And the way in which the fine originated, it was basically via a snitch line.

00:09:26.080 And we don't think it's right.

00:09:27.520 So, what we've done, we're crowdfunding.

00:09:30.880 We have a fantastic top Toronto criminal lawyer, a veteran, a bencher at the Law Society of Upper Canada, Sam Goldstein.

00:09:40.360 Sam is going to take your case.

00:09:42.840 You and your family won't have to worry about a single nickel of legal fees.

00:09:47.480 We're going to fight this.

00:09:49.440 We're going to, when things return to normal and the courts are back to normal,

00:09:53.180 we're going to see if we can, you know, get a little justice done here.

00:09:58.080 I really appreciate you guys.

00:09:59.460 And thank you, David, for coming over.

00:10:01.540 And it was a pleasure having you in my home.

00:10:03.600 Well, folks, as promised, we're taking your crowdfunding fees.

00:10:06.560 And we are going to go to bat for Mr. Rose in Cornwall.

00:10:10.800 And right now, I am joined by Toronto veteran criminal lawyer, Sam Goldstein.

00:10:17.280 Sam, thank you so much for joining me.

00:10:19.420 And thank you again for taking up the cause of Andre Rose.

00:10:24.380 And I guess the first question is, Sam, what was it that attracted you to this case in the first place?

00:10:31.000 Well, as a criminal lawyer, David, always my first concern is making sure that people's rights are defended.

00:10:38.520 And secondly, and specifically with respect to this case, was that my concern is, is during this pandemic,

00:10:44.560 that the authorities are overreaching the powers that have been given to them underneath the emergency acts.

00:10:51.160 And, you know, I think that's a very important point that you make, Sam, that even in a state of an emergency,

00:10:58.240 even when a government is operating under an Emergency Services Act, a war measures act,

00:11:04.660 it is still beholden to the Constitution.

00:11:07.680 It still has to act in a reasonable way, does it not?

00:11:12.280 Absolutely.

00:11:12.940 The Charter is still supreme law in this country.

00:11:16.920 And as I said in an interview with Ezra the other day, the, all the different legislations

00:11:24.060 for the different jurisdictions all have to conform with the Charter in one way or the other.

00:11:29.340 Earlier this month, a police officer paid a visit to your milk store.

00:11:34.760 And what happened?

00:11:35.680 What happened?

00:11:36.780 Well, there was some measures put in place, I guess, on the 3rd with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit,

00:11:41.840 some, some guidelines, and the officer popped into our business, it would have been the 5th of April

00:11:49.860 when he popped in, late in the afternoon, to inform us that we weren't in compliance with the new rules

00:11:55.980 that were laid out by EOHU, Eastern Ontario Health Unit.

00:12:00.400 And immediately we begun reading over the document that he left us.

00:12:06.660 He had told us that he's not going to be issuing a fine at this time.

00:12:10.740 He would allow us a little while to read over things and put these measures into place,

00:12:15.160 which would be the plexiglass and the arrows on the floor for social distancing.

00:12:19.740 So he wasn't going to fine us until he spoke it over with Dr. Paul Romuliotis at the Eastern

00:12:25.020 Ontario Health Unit, and they would determine whether a fine would be put in place.

00:12:30.100 However, the officer come back within the hour, and he fined us $880.

00:12:36.320 And, I mean, Travis, this is astounding.

00:12:40.860 It's not as though you put up a ruckus.

00:12:43.820 You said, no, I don't believe in these measures.

00:12:45.920 You started to immediately implement what you were told to implement,

00:12:49.840 and within an hour, they're back to fine you $880?

00:12:53.700 Yes, and that kind of blew us away by surprise when he came back to fine us,

00:13:00.740 because I don't believe he really took the time to talk this through

00:13:04.980 with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit to begin with.

00:13:08.240 So, you know, to come in and blindside us with a fine like that is really unfair,

00:13:13.500 considering I was putting the safety measures in place immediately after seeing this form.

00:13:18.520 We take things very extremely seriously, as we hold licensing with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission

00:13:24.020 for our lottery terminal and things like that.

00:13:26.320 And, I mean, we take that very seriously.

00:13:28.080 Even with the sale of tobacco products in our business,

00:13:31.220 the Eastern Ontario Health Unit is here and provide binders and information on,

00:13:36.540 you know, training tools on how to handle the sales properly.

00:13:39.920 So, I mean, the health unit, had they come forward on the morning of the 4th

00:13:45.280 with some kind of guidelines in place and gave a time period to implement these, you know.

00:13:53.200 But to be targeted like this and fined out of the blue for something you're completely dumbfounded

00:13:57.980 and unaware of is just totally unfair.

00:14:00.620 COVID-19 is brand new to all of us, really.

00:14:05.480 And, you know, nobody seems to really have a grasp on exactly what the rules should be.

00:14:11.320 I mean, Dr. Paul Romuliotis does speak in our local paper how he is working with small business

00:14:17.560 and helping small business, but we have not had a visit.

00:14:21.060 We have not had an email from them.

00:14:22.980 We haven't had a phone call.

00:14:24.680 I mean, Canada Post is still operating.

00:14:26.720 They could have sent a registered letter.

00:14:28.660 In fact, they could have sent this form via registered letter.

00:14:32.880 Two weeks prior to this, we just had a break and enter in the evening,

00:14:36.780 which we're out basically $4,800 as well.

00:14:39.940 And, I mean, we do have insurance, but insurance is quite hard to get in our business.

00:14:44.520 We're considered as high risk.

00:14:46.240 So, you know, do we make an insurance claim and risk, you know, no renewal at renewal time

00:14:51.980 or having to shop around and, you know, maybe the premiums go way up, you know.

00:14:57.540 So, you know, we're kind of at a catch where we just have to suck it up

00:15:00.880 and suck up the $800 as well. 0.84

00:15:03.480 I mean, we're debating on whether we should fight this ticket.

00:15:05.960 Again, that ties us up a whole day in court again as well,

00:15:09.740 which is, you know, more loss to us having to pay an employee

00:15:13.060 when we should be in our business running our business.

00:15:15.480 This might just be the most egregious and baffling story that we have brought to you so far

00:15:23.120 about a citizen getting an $880 ticket for, well, I don't know what for.

00:15:31.960 Let's talk to Mr. McHenry and find out what happened earlier this month

00:15:36.740 when law enforcement here in Sarnia gave him that big ticket.

00:15:41.640 I brought her out to do her business, and I was out here maybe five minutes, six minutes.

00:15:46.940 I came back to the back door.

00:15:49.860 I don't use the elevator because I don't want to run into any people.

00:15:53.780 To the third floor, and I got to the third door.

00:15:57.120 There were two policemen standing in front of my apartment with Max's son, like yourself,

00:16:02.160 and they had the ticket already made out.

00:16:05.720 They whipped it out like Matt Dillon and handed it to me, $880.

00:16:10.360 I was just outraged.

00:16:14.560 I didn't go downtown Walmart.

00:16:16.360 I didn't go downtown Sarnia.

00:16:17.920 I didn't go anywhere.

00:16:18.960 Just out here to this parking lot to let my dog do her business. 1.00

00:16:23.020 As a matter of fact, if you and I were to go in the back door right now

00:16:26.040 and we walk up to the third floor, I can guarantee you we won't run into anybody

00:16:31.580 because they want to use the elevator, and I don't use the elevator.

00:16:34.740 Just for the specific purpose of not running into anybody.

00:16:38.060 So, in other words, you're by yourself with the little dog.

00:16:43.120 You don't run into anybody here in the parking lot nor in the stairwells.

00:16:47.560 Nobody.

00:16:48.420 So, Pat, the question arises, what was the crime?

00:16:54.220 I just think that it's the heavy hand of, especially our mayor here, 0.98

00:17:03.640 our left-wing mayor here in Sarnia, who's a complete lunatic as far as I'm concerned, 0.95

00:17:09.540 pushing this hysteria all over the place, all over our country. 0.91

00:17:15.720 You can go to Walmart here in Sarnia right now.

00:17:18.060 I've been there three times.

00:17:19.200 You go in there, there's lots of people in there.

00:17:21.780 They're trying to practice social distancing, but if they can do it there,

00:17:25.400 they should be able to do it in every business in Canada. 0.99

00:17:27.760 I mean, what is that crap? 0.99

00:17:29.080 They got the whole damn place shut down. 1.00

00:17:31.820 And, Pat, it should be noted that you returned from a vacation in Mexico in March. 0.99

00:17:37.780 You went into quarantine.

00:17:39.160 When did the quarantine period end exactly?

00:17:41.220 I got back on the 25th of March.

00:17:46.700 Two days before the quarantine was up, I got the ticket.

00:17:51.100 But even, as I understand it, even under the rules of quarantining,

00:17:55.700 you're allowed to go, you know, into your backyard.

00:18:00.500 This is essentially your backyard because you live in a high-rise apartment building.

00:18:04.880 Right there.

00:18:05.480 Yes, yes.

00:18:06.220 I consider this my backyard.

00:18:07.960 It's just for the tenants only, and I'm not the only person here that has a little dog.

00:18:14.700 There are other people with dogs, but they usually use the front.

00:18:18.020 I haven't seen anybody at the back.

00:18:19.460 Oh, a couple times I've run into people out here at the back,

00:18:22.620 but usually they don't come to the back.

00:18:24.620 They go to the front out there.

00:18:25.980 David Menzies for Rebel News here in Sarnia, Ontario.

00:18:29.280 Well, I'm back here to update the story of Pat McHenry.

00:18:33.800 He is the retired carpenter that was given one of those $880 tickets

00:18:40.240 for allegedly not following the coronavirus safety protocols.

00:18:46.480 Well, folks, riddle me this.

00:18:48.180 When is good news actually bad news?

00:18:51.880 Well, it's when good news is delivered by the people that occupy this building.

00:18:58.060 This is Sarnia Police Headquarters.

00:19:00.420 The day after I interviewed Mr. McHenry, they returned to his apartment.

00:19:05.660 And folks, you are not going to believe this story.

00:19:09.840 All right.

00:19:10.220 So, Pat, you and I met for the first time on Wednesday.

00:19:15.320 We had the interview of you getting that $880 ticket,

00:19:19.600 and our viewers can go to my original report and get all the details there.

00:19:24.340 But the nub of the matter was you walked your little dog, Molly, 0.95

00:19:29.900 out to the parking lot, the deserted parking lot of your apartment building.

00:19:34.180 You even took the stairwells to avoid any contact whatsoever with people

00:19:38.980 because they typically take the elevator at your apartment building.

00:19:43.680 And when you returned to your unit, two Sarnia constables were there,

00:19:47.580 and they slapped you with an $880 fine.

00:19:51.800 Then the day after we talked, the police returned to your apartment.

00:19:57.320 This would be Thursday morning.

00:19:58.840 And do tell what happened.

00:20:01.200 I had a knock on my door.

00:20:03.080 It was a very loud knock.

00:20:05.040 And I knew intuitively that it was the police because nobody knocks on your door that loud.

00:20:11.580 So, anyway, I opened the door, and there are two policemen there.

00:20:15.300 And first I got – I says, hold it.

00:20:18.560 I don't want to talk to you guys.

00:20:20.020 I want to talk to my lawyer.

00:20:21.180 He says, no, no, no.

00:20:22.020 He says, I've got good news for you.

00:20:23.860 He says, the original ticket that you got for – we're going to drop it.

00:20:28.300 So, I'm thinking to myself, well, then that is good news.

00:20:32.560 Maybe they've come to their senses.

00:20:35.300 Then he hands me another ticket for the total sum of $1,255.

00:20:42.460 More money than the original ticket just because you showed up in Sarnia to interview me.

00:20:48.000 It's the most vindictiveness I have ever seen and very dishonest for the police to say – talk about good news.

00:20:55.700 There's no good news here.

00:20:56.920 Where's the good news?

00:20:58.100 And, you know, Pat, those are the words he said.

00:21:01.200 We have good news for you.

00:21:02.740 And, obviously, it was facetious.

00:21:04.840 It was sarcastic because he was actually there to give you a ticket that was almost 50% more than the original ticket.

00:21:12.400 Exactly.

00:21:13.120 Exactly.

00:21:13.840 I mean, this is just crazy.

00:21:16.380 I don't understand it.

00:21:17.840 I just don't.

00:21:18.800 And my friends don't understand it.

00:21:20.760 Nobody does.

00:21:21.380 Today, I'm excited to introduce you to Bridget Carlson, not because of the terrible things she says happened to her, but because, well, she needs our help to fight back.

00:21:30.740 She's a young mom from North Bay, Ontario, and she's got a genuinely harrowing tale that will outrage and anger you.

00:21:39.220 I know it angers me a lot.

00:21:40.980 But I spoke to Bridget last week over Skype, and I was livid, mum to mum, to hear what happened to her.

00:21:48.380 It was so upsetting that we just had to find a way to help her out.

00:21:52.340 So we sent one of our really great Toronto-based videographers up to North Bay to talk to Bridget to get her side of the story on camera so that we could show all of you.

00:22:03.420 Just watch.

00:22:04.120 We were on this wing for about 15, we were here for about 15 or 20 minutes.

00:22:11.600 She was just on this wing.

00:22:13.240 We weren't hurting anyone.

00:22:14.640 We were here by ourselves.

00:22:16.200 The police showed up.

00:22:17.680 Two officers approached us and told us that we were breaking.

00:22:21.880 And they put handcuffs on my mom. 1.00

00:22:24.600 I told them that we weren't harming anyone, that we needed to get outside and get some normality and just get some fresh air.

00:22:30.300 We were talking for a little while, just like on a human-to-human level, explaining where I was coming from and all of this mental health.

00:22:37.900 The lockdown, two months being inside with my daughter with no support.

00:22:41.940 They proceeded to call back up.

00:22:43.880 The sergeant showed up here.

00:22:45.300 Same thing, I tried to discuss it with him.

00:22:46.920 He didn't want to hear it.

00:22:47.940 He grabbed my arm, took my backpack off, proceeded to put me in handcuffs, separated me from my daughter.

00:22:54.080 I was taken up to the police vehicle where a cop did a body search on me, and it was very thorough and invasive.

00:23:02.340 From there, they put me into the back of the cop car, and I didn't even know where my daughter was at that time.

00:23:09.180 They went through all my things against my will.

00:23:12.100 We were separated for about 20 minutes. 0.99

00:23:13.800 He called me an idiot and yelled in my face. 0.88

00:23:15.680 They finally came back and released me from the cop car, took my handcuffs off, and gave me an $880 ticket. 0.99

00:23:23.560 From there, they didn't say anything.

00:23:25.360 They just gave me the ticket and told me if I didn't pay it, that they would take my license away from me.

00:23:30.580 And so we left the car hand-in-hand, me and my daughter.

00:23:33.860 That's how it happened.

00:23:34.760 It's been terrible.

00:23:35.480 My heart, my heartbeat has been racing since this happened.

00:23:39.280 I'm up until midnight, until 1 o'clock in the morning.

00:23:42.340 I'm having night sweats.

00:23:43.760 I've lost weight.

00:23:44.780 I can't believe that we're living in a country that's capable of doing this to the citizens.

00:23:49.400 I'm a student at Nipissene University.

00:23:51.440 I'll be going into fourth year.

00:23:52.940 I'm a single mom.

00:23:54.440 The only income I receive is through OSAP.

00:23:56.960 I don't have the money to pay $880, and I'm doing everything I can to support my daughter.

00:24:01.940 I don't know what I'm going to do.

00:24:06.360 Bridget's story made me so mad for her and her whole family.

00:24:10.160 I'm sure you feel that way, too.

00:24:11.640 And how awful for her five-year-old to witness it all.

00:24:14.900 I know my kids would be absolutely distraught.

00:24:18.180 Who was Bridget hurting in an empty park, alone with her five-year-old?

00:24:21.620 Who was in danger?

00:24:23.040 Whose health was she putting at risk?

00:24:25.300 What made her so dangerous that day that she needed to be cuffed, stuffed in a cop car, and searched?

00:24:31.400 Her body and her belongings in front of her child, treated like a street thug or a violent offender,

00:24:38.140 like an actual criminal instead of a mom just taking her daughter out for some fresh air. 0.99

00:24:43.260 And all of this happened to Bridget before she was issued an insane $800 fine. 0.98

00:24:49.420 It's crazy.

00:24:50.040 It hardly feels like Canada.

00:24:52.020 How can Bridget fight this alone? 0.97

00:24:54.040 The good news is, she's not alone.

00:24:56.800 Bridget has accepted our offer to help her fight this fine. 0.86

00:25:00.100 That would be wonderful. Thank you so much.

00:25:02.720 We put Bridget in touch with the top Toronto criminal lawyer we've been working with, Sam Goldstein.

00:25:09.080 He's a bencher with the Law Society of Ontario.

00:25:12.600 Now, I spoke to Sam earlier about what Bridget says happened to her that day,

00:25:17.820 and why he agreed to take on her case.

00:25:20.660 Just watch.

00:25:21.380 What I understand is that there may very well be an infringement of Ms. Carlson's rights.

00:25:27.380 And mostly what I'm concerned about is whether the police had the lawful authority to arrest her

00:25:35.020 and then to proceed to search her.

00:25:37.240 With respect to Ms. Carlson, I understand the allegation is that she was alone in the park with her child

00:25:41.680 and she was using the swing, and the police officer approached her.

00:25:45.860 As a result of the conversation that took place between the police officer and herself,

00:25:49.860 she then was arrested, meaning that she was handcuffed, escorted to a police cruiser.

00:25:55.040 Her coat was searched, and her backpack was searched.

00:25:59.000 Now, I think it's important for your viewers to understand that if there was a lawful arrest,

00:26:04.540 and let's assume that for a moment, that the police do have the right to search people incident to arrest.

00:26:11.000 And they have a very limited common law authority to be able to do that.

00:26:15.280 The issue becomes is the provincial legislation certainly gave the police the right, the authority,

00:26:21.160 statutory authority, to be able to ask her what her date of birth is, what her name is, and her address.

00:26:26.900 But I'm not so sure the provincial government also enacted companion legislation

00:26:32.460 to give the police the ability to actually arrest her, that is to say to handcuff her, right?

00:26:38.040 Because it was a ticket.

00:26:39.120 And in tickets, there was nothing that says all they could have simply done was to issue the ticket

00:26:45.120 by simply giving it to her and leaving her alone.

00:26:48.660 In this case, they went further to that, and I think that's the central issue about what happened to her.

00:26:54.120 Today, I want to introduce you to Walter Matheson from New Brunswick.

00:26:57.660 He received a nearly $300 ticket.

00:27:00.440 His crime?

00:27:01.800 Sitting alone, in his car, in a Tim Hortons parking lot,

00:27:06.060 while he finished his muffin and coffee before carrying on his day.

00:27:10.060 For failure to comply with the direction of emergency measures.

00:27:14.220 But Walter is obviously a quick thinker because he did something many journalists wouldn't think to do,

00:27:19.600 let alone normal people just minding their own business,

00:27:21.920 trying to wash down a muffin with a double-double in a parking lot,

00:27:25.780 completely alone in one's own car.

00:27:27.880 Walter started recording the audio on his phone.

00:27:31.760 So while we don't have a video of what happened to Walter,

00:27:34.100 we do have the audio of his interaction with the police officer.

00:27:37.980 There's a lot of dead air as Walter politely waits for the cop to ticket him,

00:27:41.660 so we just cut that out for brevity.

00:27:43.960 But you can hear for yourself.

00:27:45.620 Walter isn't rude.

00:27:46.480 He actually jokes with the cop.

00:27:48.280 And the cop goes from jovial to angry, nearly immediately with Walter,

00:27:52.920 the moment Walter wanted just a little bit of clarity from him.

00:27:56.740 Just listen.

00:27:57.940 How you doing?

00:27:58.840 Not too bad.

00:28:00.000 Good, good.

00:28:01.060 Tim Hortons has asked me to move people from the parking lot here.

00:28:04.060 Really?

00:28:04.680 I know you're by yourself and all that,

00:28:06.240 but what it does is it's letting the teens see what happens,

00:28:08.900 and then they all start hanging out here later on.

00:28:10.900 No, I don't believe that.

00:28:11.580 And Tim Hortons, pardon me?

00:28:12.300 I don't believe that.

00:28:13.420 You don't believe the teens will do that?

00:28:15.800 That's their opinion.

00:28:17.100 No, that's true, but they have asked, and it is up to them to do it.

00:28:19.680 This country is still a free country.

00:28:21.540 Okay, if you don't move, I'm going to give you a $292 ticket.

00:28:23.680 Is that right?

00:28:24.260 Yes.

00:28:24.600 For doing what?

00:28:25.980 For not moving in compliance to what I'm saying.

00:28:28.140 I'm trying to be nice to you.

00:28:29.000 That's not a law.

00:28:29.100 License, please.

00:28:32.000 License, please.

00:28:32.740 Oh, I'll help you.

00:28:33.740 Then leave now.

00:28:34.880 Okay.

00:28:35.520 I was nice to you.

00:28:36.460 I gave you a chance.

00:28:37.480 Get out.

00:28:38.400 If I catch you back here, it will be a $292 ticket.

00:28:40.860 What's your name, sir?

00:28:41.660 Constable John Thompson.

00:28:42.740 Okay, thank you, John.

00:28:43.960 Okay.

00:28:44.660 I would still like to see your driver's license, though.

00:28:46.440 Well, I'm okay.

00:28:47.420 No, I would like to see it, sir.

00:28:49.540 Stop right there.

00:28:51.780 Driver's license.

00:28:53.060 Just a minute, I'll back up.

00:28:54.480 Doesn't matter.

00:28:55.020 You don't have to.

00:28:55.440 You stop right where you are.

00:28:56.320 Oh.

00:28:57.160 How long is this going to go on?

00:28:58.440 I have no idea.

00:28:59.980 No idea.

00:29:01.440 I don't like it any more than you do, but I'm doing a job.

00:29:03.940 I'll be right back.

00:29:06.360 Okay, sir.

00:29:06.820 I was nice to you.

00:29:07.560 I asked you to leave.

00:29:08.660 You gave me a hard time.

00:29:09.840 So now you're getting a ticket.

00:29:10.660 I didn't give you a hard time.

00:29:11.020 Under the failure to comply with the direction of the Emergency Measures Act.

00:29:13.920 Yes, you did, sir.

00:29:14.760 Okay?

00:29:15.440 You didn't want to leave.

00:29:16.440 Don't try arguing now.

00:29:17.220 If you want to take it up with something, you can take it up with the sergeant at the office.

00:29:20.060 I'm not dealing with you.

00:29:20.960 Or you can go to court and you can contest it.

00:29:23.080 Okay?

00:29:23.300 When the court pays?

00:29:23.920 $292.50.

00:29:25.560 You can pay it at any service in New Brunswick.

00:29:26.940 You can pay it online.

00:29:28.040 Oh, I'm not going to pay it.

00:29:29.060 Do you want to go to court in English or in French?

00:29:32.040 I'm English.

00:29:32.960 Do you want it in English?

00:29:34.100 Of course I do.

00:29:35.220 Okay.

00:29:36.640 You have your driver's license back.

00:29:37.880 Thank you very much.

00:29:38.420 I'm going to get you to sign here.

00:29:39.260 It's not admitting guilt.

00:29:40.100 Just I've explained it to you.

00:29:40.960 I'm not going to sign it, sir.

00:29:42.300 Refuse to sign.

00:29:43.280 It still stands, even if you don't sign.

00:29:45.700 Okay?

00:29:46.700 If you come back here, you will now be trespassing.

00:29:49.980 Excuse me?

00:29:50.800 If you come back, you will now be trespassing.

00:29:53.000 Does that include every Tim Hortons in town?

00:29:54.980 No, that's just one here in Hampton.

00:29:56.460 Just this one.

00:29:57.180 Just this one.

00:29:57.800 So if you come back, you're trespassing.

00:29:59.700 There's your ticket.

00:30:01.060 Leave the parking lot now, sir.

00:30:02.280 Let's do another one.

00:30:03.060 Next one goes up to $1,000.

00:30:04.900 Really?

00:30:05.600 Yes.

00:30:06.240 You can get up to $10,000.

00:30:07.660 How many have you given out today?

00:30:09.080 You're the first.

00:30:10.500 Well, I feel so.

00:30:11.420 How good about that?

00:30:12.360 You're lucky.

00:30:12.740 You're the first.

00:30:13.220 You're the first to ask for what happened.

00:30:15.020 Thank you very much.

00:30:17.620 Okay, let's sum up what we heard there.

00:30:19.340 The cop asked Walter to leave.

00:30:20.940 Walter wonders why.

00:30:22.200 So the cop gets mad really fast.

00:30:25.360 And so Walter tried to do what the cop asked him to do and leave.

00:30:28.880 And then the cop stops Walter from leaving and then tickets him for not leaving when the

00:30:33.200 police asked him to.

00:30:34.700 And why?

00:30:35.520 What was the reason why?

00:30:36.740 Because an older man eating a muffin alone might attract teenagers to the Tim Hortons

00:30:41.400 parking lot.

00:30:42.640 Has this cop ever met a teenager before?

00:30:45.180 Now, I talked to Walter a couple of days ago on Skype because his story is just so weird

00:30:49.160 and crazy.

00:30:50.820 Just watch.

00:30:51.380 Well, I think I was there about maybe five to ten minutes.

00:30:57.480 And they never told me when I went through the drive-thru that I could only get my coffee

00:31:04.060 and then leave.

00:31:04.780 So, of course, I always parked in the parking lot, drink my coffee, eat my muffin, and then

00:31:12.200 leave. 0.99

00:31:12.640 That's what I always do.

00:31:13.840 So I didn't see anything unusual.

00:31:16.280 There was no sign saying no loitering or anything like that.

00:31:19.920 So I was quite surprised when this happened.

00:31:24.240 Do you know who called the cops on you?

00:31:27.780 I don't know if they called them on me, but the police themselves, the police officer there

00:31:33.020 told me that Tim Hortons had called them.

00:31:35.700 And the reason was that myself and the other people that were in the parking lot parked

00:31:44.100 there, there was probably five or six cars, would attract teenagers.

00:31:48.840 Now, I don't know if they have some kind of a problem with teenagers there.

00:31:51.880 I haven't heard that.

00:31:52.840 You started recording your interaction with the police officer, which I think is fascinating

00:31:59.800 for me as a journalist, because I know some journalists who wouldn't do that.

00:32:04.540 What made you start recording?

00:32:06.780 Well, I've had experiences in the past where police officers have actually lied about what

00:32:12.480 happened or our interactions.

00:32:15.020 So I said, well, it isn't going to hurt to record this.

00:32:18.620 And then I have my side of it and his side of it.

00:32:20.720 I tried to be as calm as I could there with him.

00:32:24.660 And I didn't use any swear words or anything like that.

00:32:28.500 And so I just said, well, I'll turn it on there.

00:32:32.240 This should be interesting.

00:32:33.260 I'll show my wife when I get home there what happened.

00:32:36.860 The police officer shows up at your window, I suppose.

00:32:41.660 And you can tell you he's not angry with you.

00:32:45.940 You're not disrespectful to him.

00:32:48.060 But once you question this $292 ticket that he's threatening you with unless you leave,

00:32:56.580 things get pretty heated pretty fast.

00:32:58.780 And the cop goes from zero to 60.

00:33:00.640 He goes from happy to very angry and very aggressive with you.

00:33:06.240 Yes, it's almost like the excuse he gave me wasn't actually the truth.

00:33:12.620 And maybe he was upset about that, that really Tim Hortons didn't call him or something like that.

00:33:18.520 I don't know.

00:33:19.280 Even if he had come over and said, do you mind finishing your coffee and your muffin and leaving?

00:33:24.600 I would have said, that's what I always do, so I would have left.

00:33:27.760 But I don't believe that I did anything wrong.

00:33:30.800 I don't think I deserved a $292 ticket.

00:33:34.600 No.

00:33:35.520 But I certainly still think it's a free country.

00:33:39.920 I should have been able to sit there and have a coffee and my donut.

00:33:44.180 You know, Walter, I think that you're right.

00:33:47.080 I think this is still a free country.

00:33:48.760 I don't think you deserve that ticket.

00:33:51.520 I think that our viewers at home will probably feel much the same way.

00:33:56.480 And that's why we are going to help you fight this ticket.

00:33:59.940 I have an incredible update to bring you about the case of Walter Matheson.

00:34:04.860 He's our fight the fines case from Hampton, New Brunswick,

00:34:07.820 who was ticketed by police in a Tim Hortons parking lot

00:34:11.660 while he ate his muffin and finished his coffee completely alone in his car.

00:34:15.700 He was ticketed for failure to comply with emergency measures.

00:34:19.720 The thing is, Walter did try to comply, but the police officer then stopped him

00:34:23.920 and ticketed him nearly $300 after Walter said, this is still a free country.

00:34:30.640 This country is still a free country.

00:34:32.540 Okay, if you don't move, I'm going to give you a $292 ticket.

00:34:34.640 Is that right?

00:34:35.220 Yes.

00:34:35.560 For doing what?

00:34:37.060 For not moving in compliance to what I'm saying.

00:34:39.260 And the cop involved, well, he got particularly abusive,

00:34:42.360 even swearing at Walter at one point.

00:34:44.400 Here's your ticket.

00:34:45.700 Leave the parking lot now, sir.

00:34:47.020 Let's do another one.

00:34:47.800 Next one goes up to $1,000.

00:34:49.620 Really?

00:34:50.300 Yes.

00:34:50.980 You can get up to $10,000.

00:34:52.400 How many have you given out today?

00:34:53.800 You're the first.

00:34:55.240 Well, I feel so good about that.

00:34:57.400 You're lucky.

00:34:57.480 You're the first.

00:34:57.940 You're the first out for what happened.

00:34:59.540 However, Walter brilliantly recorded the interaction,

00:35:02.500 and then he gave it to us.

00:35:04.440 Now, I hate being part of this story.

00:35:06.020 I really do.

00:35:06.820 But today, I'm part of the story.

00:35:09.020 Because we've now received a legal threat letter on behalf of the cop who ticketed Walter.

00:35:14.120 I want to read this letter together with you.

00:35:17.620 And I'll stop as I'm reading to point things that I notice out to you, if that's okay.

00:35:22.800 Because I am almost 100% certain this lawyer did not watch the video or read the accompanying website article

00:35:30.420 before firing off this bullying and threatening letter to us at Rebel News.

00:35:36.060 Okay, here it goes.

00:35:38.200 Dear Sir or Madam, regarding Constable John Thompson,

00:35:42.420 an article, aggressive bullying by the police.

00:35:46.300 Now, I just want to point out that she got the address wrong.

00:35:49.640 She spelled Eglinton wrong.

00:35:51.060 It's Eglinton, not Ellington.

00:35:53.000 Not off to a great start.

00:35:54.580 Please be advised we represent Constable Thompson with respect to the above-sided matter.

00:35:59.820 We understand one of your reporters named Sheila Gunn-Reed published an article,

00:36:05.000 Aggressive Bullying by Police.

00:36:07.260 The grammar here, it's not great for a legal letter.

00:36:11.360 There are extra commas just hanging around all over the place.

00:36:15.840 We understand your reporter recorded a conversation without the knowledge of Constable Thompson.

00:36:22.820 No, no, you definitely don't understand that because I didn't do that.

00:36:27.280 Next time, watch the video before sending off a letter about how bad that video is.

00:36:34.280 I say repeatedly in the video that the recording of the interaction came to us by way of Walter Matheson.

00:36:41.900 He recorded his own interaction with a cop and then sent it to us.

00:36:45.660 I definitely wasn't on the other side of the country, sitting in a Tim Hortons parking lot,

00:36:49.940 with a man I absolutely didn't know at the time recording an interaction with a cop.

00:36:54.300 However, even if it were true that I was and it's definitely not, that's crazy,

00:36:59.720 how does that change anything?

00:37:01.220 It's not illegal to record someone.

00:37:03.140 And it doesn't change the fact that the cop did behave poorly and unprofessionally towards Walter,

00:37:09.280 even swearing at him at one point.

00:37:10.860 Then the lawyer tells me that I'm mean, kind of.

00:37:17.540 This is unacceptable.

00:37:20.560 Why?

00:37:21.400 It's not illegal.

00:37:22.840 I might have hurt Constable John Thompson's feelings a little bit,

00:37:26.320 but I certainly didn't break any laws by publishing that audio recording,

00:37:29.980 and neither did Walter when he recorded it.

00:37:32.460 Constable Thompson has had two death threats as a result.

00:37:35.380 Now, death threats are indeed terrible.

00:37:37.740 I definitely don't condone those, and I get my fair share of them too.

00:37:42.520 I'd advise Constable Thompson to call 911 or the Hampton Police Complaints Line

00:37:47.080 and file a report about them.

00:37:49.820 And if the death threats are really, freely getting out of control,

00:37:54.100 maybe the Hampton Police could take someone off the coronavirus muffin eater beat 0.99

00:37:59.280 down at the local Tim Hortons to help investigate the spate of criminality

00:38:04.260 directed at Constable Thompson.

00:38:06.340 You know, real police work.

00:38:09.320 In addition, Sheila Gunn-Reed repeatedly mentions his name in the article.

00:38:15.620 Oh, do I?

00:38:16.500 Now, the word article is capitalized here for some reason,

00:38:19.720 but this statement is also wrong for a couple of other different reasons.

00:38:23.720 And again, it furthers my suspicions that this lawyer

00:38:26.300 didn't even do 10 minutes worth of watching a YouTube video

00:38:30.120 before she sent this letter to us.

00:38:33.700 First point, does she think we were supposed to hide this cop's identity?

00:38:38.440 That's not how it works, lady.

00:38:40.860 Now, we used Thompson's name in the name key on the screen

00:38:44.140 to differentiate in the recording when he was talking

00:38:47.700 versus when Walter Matheson was talking.

00:38:50.560 That's for clarity.

00:38:51.840 But we never even wrote his name in the accompanying article with the video.

00:38:56.560 Not even once.

00:38:57.960 I didn't even say the cop's name once in the video.

00:39:00.640 Walter didn't say his name either.

00:39:03.360 Neither did the lawyer I interviewed about the case, Sam Goldstein.

00:39:07.780 Because my problem, at least at the time,

00:39:10.440 was truly with out-of-control coronavirus legislation,

00:39:13.960 not so much with the police tasked with enforcing it.

00:39:17.460 Except now I do have a real problem with this one specific cop, don't I?

00:39:22.820 Because he just made it my problem, didn't he?

00:39:25.720 I don't like it any more than you do, but I'm doing a job.

00:39:28.160 Anyway, let's keep reading this thing.

00:39:30.760 This is defamation of character.

00:39:32.880 Okay, so is this a defamation or libel notice?

00:39:35.800 Because normally that's the first thing lawyers put in these sorts of letters.

00:39:40.280 Lawyers don't normally add that as a throwaway line

00:39:43.240 stuffed into the middle of a legal threat letter.

00:39:46.480 Let's keep reading, though.

00:39:48.560 As such, we suggest you remove Constable John Thompson from the article.

00:39:54.900 That's the article in which his name was never really written.

00:39:59.200 Anyway, here's the craziest part, though.

00:40:01.220 Are you ready?

00:40:01.780 And return the recording to the Hampton RCMP forthwith.

00:40:08.360 Yours truly, Lutz Longstaff Parrish, Carly Parrish,

00:40:11.900 acting for Constable John Thompson.

00:40:15.700 This lawyer is demanding that I give my journalistic materials

00:40:19.180 over to the RCMP in Hampton, New Brunswick.

00:40:23.360 That's not how it works, sister.

00:40:26.080 You just can't write a demand letter telling a journalist

00:40:29.240 to turn their materials over to the police

00:40:31.780 because a cop doesn't like a news report that he was in.

00:40:35.200 And this lawyer, she used the word returned 0.99

00:40:37.220 as though these materials belonged to the police in the first place.

00:40:41.220 Does the Hampton RCMP know that she's having them participate

00:40:43.820 in the proposed confiscation of my journalistic materials?

00:40:47.980 Now, if I were someone who would comply with this demand,

00:40:51.640 and I think you know I'm definitely not, 0.99

00:40:54.600 who at the RCMP station would be dumb enough 0.89

00:40:57.260 to take receipt of my journalistic materials 0.97

00:41:00.680 on behalf of Constable Thompson?

00:41:02.980 I mean, this is truly insane.

00:41:05.360 David Menzies for Rebel News here in Cobourg, Ontario.

00:41:09.340 And folks, I am with Tamara Ugolini.

00:41:12.580 And wow, this might be one of the most incredible

00:41:16.640 Fight the Fines case that Rebel News has taken on.

00:41:20.960 You are not going to believe what happened to Tamara

00:41:23.760 and one of her friends.

00:41:25.560 I believe exactly two weeks from this Saturday, Tamara,

00:41:29.340 you were down here near the beachfront of Cobourg.

00:41:32.980 It's a beautiful beach.

00:41:34.100 And what happened?

00:41:35.580 A friend and I decided a hot day like today,

00:41:38.560 we were very overheated.

00:41:40.680 So we decided to take a leisurely stroll

00:41:43.260 through our beautiful Great Lakes shoreline.

00:41:46.820 We entered the pier as some exhibitors did today.

00:41:51.780 And about halfway through became harassed, per se,

00:41:58.840 by a bylaw officer.

00:42:01.020 Now, there's a huge sign here.

00:42:03.000 There's other signs.

00:42:04.380 Beach closed, entry prohibited.

00:42:06.580 Nobody on the beach unless you take a census 1.00

00:42:08.680 of the seagulls, of course.

00:42:09.780 So did you know that maybe you were in contravention

00:42:13.680 of a bylaw by walking here?

00:42:15.660 So there actually isn't any bylaw in effect

00:42:18.000 here in the town of Cobourg.

00:42:19.300 My understanding was that I was exercising

00:42:21.880 my freedom of mobility to stroll the shoreline.

00:42:26.480 Indeed, you sent along to me via email some land surveys.

00:42:31.420 And I believe the border of the town,

00:42:34.440 if I've got this right,

00:42:35.260 it's where the lifeguard stations are,

00:42:37.740 these huts along the beach.

00:42:38.820 And basically, when you go further than that

00:42:42.220 and into the water,

00:42:43.720 that is no longer town of Cobourg land.

00:42:46.500 So was that the basis on which you thought

00:42:49.660 you were home free by doing this?

00:42:52.080 Correct.

00:42:52.680 Yeah, there seems to be a lot of gray area

00:42:54.580 in terms of who or if anyone actually owns

00:42:57.520 these shorelines.

00:42:58.940 So it'll be interesting to see moving forward.

00:43:01.760 Maybe there can be some more definitions,

00:43:03.760 black and white, happening there.

00:43:05.040 Now, back to your story.

00:43:07.000 The bylaw officer approaches you and your friend.

00:43:09.900 And what is the nature of the discussion?

00:43:12.800 Right.

00:43:13.120 So he asks us to come toward him

00:43:16.880 and discuss what we were doing.

00:43:19.860 So we happily obliged.

00:43:22.620 We were cooperative, peaceful.

00:43:26.240 My friend and I, Joyce, she was here earlier.

00:43:29.040 She's a 60-year-old woman.

00:43:30.540 So you can imagine the two of us are quite the threatening pair.

00:43:35.280 And at that point, there was some backup called.

00:43:39.940 He was calling for backup for the two of you.

00:43:42.160 Because there's no bylaw.

00:43:43.060 So a bylaw officer has no real authority here.

00:43:46.820 So he called for some backup, I guess,

00:43:49.200 because we were acting so unlawfully,

00:43:51.800 strolling a shoreline.

00:43:52.940 And we were very threatening,

00:43:54.960 which is sarcasm for the record.

00:43:59.180 And so, you know, the officer and I

00:44:01.780 went back and forth a little bit.

00:44:03.740 And she called.

00:44:04.280 And please tell me the nature

00:44:05.280 of the back and forth discussion, Tamara.

00:44:07.140 Was the officer saying,

00:44:08.720 I'm going to write you up for one of those $880 tickets?

00:44:11.160 Was she asking for identification?

00:44:14.020 How did it pan out?

00:44:16.040 Right.

00:44:16.380 So they basically wanted to, yes,

00:44:19.240 hit us with a fine to which I refused to receive

00:44:23.180 because I was well within my rights.

00:44:26.560 And my friend did receive the fine.

00:44:29.940 But however, because I refused,

00:44:31.500 the officers and I went back and forth for a few minutes.

00:44:34.220 And eventually I was arrested

00:44:36.340 despite not receiving any feedback

00:44:40.120 as to whether or not I was actually

00:44:41.480 facing an arrestable offence.

00:44:43.280 And when you say arrested,

00:44:44.740 do you mean you were actually cuffed

00:44:46.700 and put in a police cruiser?

00:44:47.960 Correct.

00:44:48.400 I was handcuffed.

00:44:49.560 Walking on a beach?

00:44:51.180 I was handcuffed.

00:44:52.280 I was, my belongings were taken.

00:44:53.980 And I was held in a jail cell

00:44:55.980 for about an hour and a half

00:44:57.180 until I could speak with duty counsel.

00:44:58.460 I find this staggering, folks and Tamara,

00:45:01.940 because we have seen throughout the Wuhan virus

00:45:05.260 being played out these last several months,

00:45:08.180 correctional facilities releasing violent criminals

00:45:12.080 so that social distancing is maintained.

00:45:15.200 You walk on an empty beach,

00:45:17.140 unless you include the seagulls,

00:45:19.100 and you get arrested, handcuffed,

00:45:21.500 put in a police car and put in a cell.

00:45:23.920 I mean, I can't connect the dots here.

00:45:26.020 Right. And also on that note,

00:45:28.820 neither can I because in Coburg here specifically,

00:45:31.020 we've had no COVID cases since the end of April.

00:45:33.500 We've had no COVID-19 deaths.

00:45:35.760 So these restrictions and further impositions

00:45:37.800 are entirely unjustified.

00:45:40.100 These are not demonstrably justifiable.

00:45:42.840 And this is a huge overreach

00:45:44.520 into our civil liberties and rights and freedoms.

00:45:46.900 And tell me, even if,

00:45:48.220 and I mean, in the court of law,

00:45:49.540 everything will play out

00:45:50.440 when it comes to what the boundaries are,

00:45:53.420 what the bylaw is and whatnot.

00:45:56.260 But even if there was a hard and entrenched bylaw here

00:46:01.100 that said you cannot go on this beach,

00:46:03.920 why?

00:46:04.620 I mean, it's acres and acres of empty beach,

00:46:08.720 and yet we see on this very day

00:46:10.800 a street festival where there's hundreds of people

00:46:13.260 on concrete and asphalt.

00:46:15.420 That is evidently okay.

00:46:16.980 We have a trailer park.

00:46:18.420 You can see it just behind us.

00:46:19.820 And bumper-to-bumper trailers, that's okay.

00:46:23.160 I mean, I'm trying to make sense of this all, Tamara.

00:46:25.780 Yeah, you and me both.

00:46:26.880 I'd be really interested to know

00:46:28.240 where the people from that trailer park are coming from

00:46:30.600 if the intention here was to keep the others away.

00:46:33.780 You know, again, folks,

00:46:35.660 we've come across more than a dozen

00:46:38.780 fight-the-fines cases.

00:46:40.540 I particularly think this is one of the most egregious ones yet.

00:46:43.800 Two people, law-abiding citizens walking on a deserted beach

00:46:48.440 and to be treated like violent criminals.

00:46:51.980 And it's even questionable in terms of the boundaries of the town

00:46:56.580 and whether the bylaw is indeed in effect on the shoreline.

00:47:01.760 You know, Tamara, I'm sure our viewers are equally perturbed

00:47:06.500 by what happened to you and your friends.

00:47:07.940 So I'm so happy.

00:47:09.340 I understand you've reached out to our legal eagle, Sam Goldstein.

00:47:12.880 He is going to represent you.

00:47:15.100 I mean, Sam Goldstein, I can tell you,

00:47:17.700 top-notch criminal lawyer.

00:47:19.200 He's a bencher.

00:47:20.940 He is going to fight for justice

00:47:22.980 because I think what happened to you,

00:47:25.660 bylaw or no bylaw,

00:47:26.680 I think it was completely unjustified.

00:47:28.960 Yes, and thank you, Rebel News, for that

00:47:30.500 because we need to put the end to this hypocrisy of the new normal.

00:47:34.840 Indeed we do. 0.87

00:47:35.600 It is hypocrisy. 0.62

00:47:36.820 It is, I guess, politicians,

00:47:39.420 including local ones in little towns like Coburg,

00:47:41.880 clamping down on our rights and freedoms.

00:47:44.880 Even if you have a bylaw,

00:47:46.300 it doesn't trump the Constitution.

00:47:49.160 And exit question, Tamara, 0.99

00:47:51.620 this is the theme we seem to come across all across Canada,

00:47:54.800 is that it's almost as though politicians of all stripes,

00:47:59.260 of all levels of government,

00:48:00.640 municipal, provincial, and federal,

00:48:02.240 they've gotten a taste of almost totalitarian power

00:48:06.820 with these coronavirus rules.

00:48:09.240 And they kind of like the taste

00:48:10.740 and they don't want to give up that drink.

00:48:12.760 Right.

00:48:13.220 Well, as we know,

00:48:14.140 absolute power corrupts absolutely.

00:48:16.220 So it's time for we, the people,

00:48:18.060 to be back in charge

00:48:19.240 because we have all the rights.

00:48:21.240 Well, what do you think?

00:48:33.840 What I find so interesting about the Fight the Fines cases

00:48:36.120 is the different walks of life people are from.

00:48:39.040 In fact, many of them are people

00:48:40.040 who probably would never even think of the rebel as their place.

00:48:43.960 But when they needed help, we were there.

00:48:45.840 And more to the point,

00:48:46.560 you were there helping to crowdfund the lawyers.

00:48:48.420 There's still a lot more fighting to do,

00:48:50.400 but I think that we're a reason the tide is turning.

00:48:53.860 That's our show for today.

00:48:54.940 Until next time,

00:48:55.720 on behalf of all of us here at Rebel World Headquarters,

00:48:58.020 to you at home,

00:48:58.640 good night and keep fighting for freedom.

Rebel News Podcast - July 24, 2020

Fight the Fines： How Rebels Stood Up for Civil Liberties through COVID-19

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