The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in favour of former MPP Randy Hillier, declaring Ontario’s 2021 COVID-19 lockdown regulations unconstitutional

In a landmark decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in favour of former MPP Randy Hillier, declaring Ontario’s 2021 COVID-19 lockdown regulations unconstitutional for violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ Section 2(c) right to peaceful assembly.

Hillier challenged the province’s Stay-at-Home Order, effective April 8, 2021, which banned outdoor gatherings, including protests, deeming them non-essential, while permitting activities like grocery shopping. He attended protests in Kemptville (April 8) and Cornwall (May 1), speaking against lockdown harms and Charter violations, and faced charges under the Reopening Ontario Act, with potential fines up to $100,000 and a year in jail.

Hillier’s initial challenge was dismissed by Superior Court Justice Joseph Callaghan in November 2023, who upheld the regulations as justified to curb COVID-19, ignoring evidence of lockdown harms from experts like Dr. Kevin Bardosh.

In a landmark decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in favour of former MPP Randy Hillier, declaring Ontario’s 2021 COVID-19 lockdown regulations unconstitutional for violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ Section 2(c) right to peaceful assembly.

Hillier… pic.twitter.com/2AnBDvCyKX

— PoliceOnGuardForThee (@PoliceOnGuard)April 21, 2025