Five Manitobans convicted of COVID 19 crimes
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Words per Minute
154.49438
Summary
The 5 convicted are Patrick Allard, Todd, Todd McDougall, Sharon Vickner, Gerald Bonheimer, and Pastor Tobias Thiessen. They admitted breaking the outdoor public gathering limits in 2020 and 2021. Based on a statement agreed to by the court and their lawyers, Provincial Court Judge Victoria Cornick convicted them.
Transcript
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The five convicted are Patrick Allard, Todd McDougall, Sharon Vickner, Gerald Bonheimer,
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and Pastor Tobias Thiessen. They admitted breaking the outdoor public gathering limits in 2020 and
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2021. Based on a statement agreed to by the court and their lawyers, Provincial Court Judge
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Victoria Cornick convicted them. Crown Attorney Sean Sass said all of the five individuals made
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a point of violating the orders in a very public way. They encouraged others to break the law as
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well. Thiessen, who is a rural church pastor, spoke at rallies against the COVID-19 restrictions and
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held church services above the gathering limits. According to Sass, the four others continued to
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speak and organize rallies after being ticketed. Sass said the repeated issuing of tickets did
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absolutely nothing to deter these offenders. The COVID-19 fines are between $18,000 and $42,000
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for each individual, which is based on how many offenses they were convicted of as tickets are
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$1,296 each. The defense lawyers argued the fines were too severe for the crimes committed and asked
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for the judge to impose a reprimand. Alex Steigerwald, a defense lawyer who represents four of the five
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convicted, said they weren't breaking windows, they weren't rioting in the streets, my clients stood
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up and protested for something they believed in. The five said they were already punished with two
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losing their jobs and all spending time in jail after being arrested. Vickner said we were peacefully
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publicly rejecting government overreach. Two of the convicted, Allard and McDougall, will appeal to a
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higher court as they want to challenge the COVID-19 public health orders under the Charter of Rights
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and Freedoms. Thyssen's church, along with other churches, lost a charter challenge in 2021 against
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Manitoba's COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings and religious services. The court ruled the
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restrictions were allowed under the Charter because of a public health emergency.
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