OTTAWA — An Ontario court’s order to retry a “Freedom Convoy” protester could have implications for the ongoing trial of the protest’s two key organizers. 

The Superior Court of Justice ordered a retrial last week for Allen Remley, a convoy participant who had been acquitted on a mischief charge. 

Remley was acquitted last year by Justice Heather Perkins-McVey, who is also presiding over the criminal trial for organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. 

The court ordered a retrial after concluding Perkins-McVey didn’t adequately take the context of the protest into account.

University of Ottawa criminologist Michael Kempa says that means the judge will have to apply a broader standard when the time comes to rule on Lich and Barber. 

In Remley’s case, Perkins-McVey found the Crown had failed to adequately prove that he was engaged in mischief during the protest.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2023.

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press