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Five people have now been charged in the fallout of an anti-lockdown protest held April 26 at Tecumseh Park in Chatham.
They were charged under the Reopening Ontario Act for attending an organized event, Chatham-Kent director of building development services Paul Lacina said May 7.
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Organized outdoor gatherings are forbidden under Ontario’s current COVID-19 stay-at-home order.
All five spoke at the rally. The Municipality of Chatham-Kent, though, has not released their names, ages or hometowns.
Bylaw enforcement officials continue to review their information to identify other participants who may have violated the Reopening Ontario Act, said a municipal news release.
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The municipality also announced Friday no charges were laid in an “Opening Day” event April 30, the day Chatham-Kent businesses were encouraged on social media to open in violation of COVID-19 restrictions. Organizer Ben Labadie cancelled the event a few days in advance because of a lack of interest.
Chatham-Kent police, health inspectors and bylaw enforcement officers inspected 17 Chatham-Kent businesses associated with the event April 30, Lacina said.
“They were inspected to ensure they were operating within the rules applicable to each of those businesses,” he said. None were violating the provincial regulations, so none were fined.
Before the event, the municipality put out a news release advising businesses the Reopening Ontario Act would be enforced.
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Five people have now been charged in the fallout of an anti-lockdown protest held last week at Tecumseh Park in Chatham.
They were charged under the Reopening Ontario Act for attending an organized event, Chatham-Kent director of building development services Paul Lacina said Friday.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser.
Organized outdoor gatherings are forbidden under Ontario’s current COVID-19 stay-at-home order.
All five spoke at the rally. The Municipality of Chatham-Kent, though, has not released their names, ages or hometowns.
Bylaw enforcement officials continue to review their information to identify other participants who may have violated the Reopening Ontario Act, said a municipal news release Friday.
April 16, 2021
Local officials are urging everyone – residents and business owners alike – not to break the rules when it comes to the current stay at home order from the province.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby says protests and businesses defying provincial regulations are missing the point.
“There seems to be a disconnect between folks that are protesting and opening in defiance of provincial law,” Dr. Colby says. “The lockdown is not the problem, the lockdown is a reaction to a wave of very serious infection, where we’re seeing younger and younger people being admitted to hospital with a serious disease, this is the reaction to the reality of a third wave.”
WINDSOR, ONT. A Chatham man said his initiative for businesses in the province to reopen on April 30, while a stay at home order is in place, has the support of 30 businesses so far. Ben Labadie, a real estate agent said, “it seems a bit unfair to me that I can continue to make a living, while other people struggle to afford the necessities of life.” Labadie organized Opening Day Ontario and started a Facebook site where he called for business people to band together. He posted: “Opening Day is the return to normal where together we go back to our lives where kids play sports, businesses can prosper and people can be free to be with their families and friends.”