Judge orders eviction of Freedom Convoy-affiliated group from Ottawa church
The head of a group with ties to the Freedom Convoy says they are planning to leave an Ottawa church after a judge ordered the group can be evicted.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Sally Gomery granted an application on Friday by the owners of St. Brigid’s in Lowertown to evict The United People of Canada from the property.
The owner, Patrick McDonald, sought the court order to enforce the group's eviction, saying they failed to make $100,000 payments as part of a conditional sale of the church, owe $10,000 in rent and have broken heritage rules. Gomery’s ruling sided with the landlord.
“TUPOC materially breached the agreement by failing to pay deposits of $100,000 on August 10, 2022, despite two extensions of the deadline granted by the applicants,” she wrote.
Gomery also ruled that TUPOC must pay $53,000 in costs to the owners of the property within 30 days. William Komer, the group's chair, said Friday afternoon that the group is planning to appeal the decision, but is planning to pack up and leaving the church.
"We're waiting for the order to be finalized, but we understand it was against us and we need to vacate," he said. "We know they're asking, I believe, for us to be immediately out, so we're getting out as quickly as we can.
"We will be appealing the decision."
Members of the group had long insisted the eviction notice they were served was invalid, and said they would not leave the property. But Friday afternoon they could be seen packing up a vehicle in the church's parking lot.
As they packed their belongings, several protesters arrived to shout at the TUPOC members. One of them brandished a sign reading "Go home terrorists" as a verbal confrontation broke out.
Police could be seen speaking to Komer at the church around 6 p.m. Friday evening.
Mayor Jim Watson called the judge’s decision “great news” for Lowertown residents.
“They’ve put up with a lot of nonsense and immaturity, people being squirted by water guns and spitting on people,” he told CTV News. “My hope is that these crackpots who have been basically encamped there for weeks respect the judge’s decision, pay the court costs and get out of town.”
The ruling is earlier than expected—Gomery told court on Monday she would not have a decision until after Sept. 27.
St. Brigid's church was conditionally sold to The United People of Canada on June 15, with the group planning to turn the historic property into an "embassy". Documents obtained by CTV News show the sale has fallen through, and the property was back on the market as of Aug. 12.
McDonald's lawyer told reporters on Sept. 2 that by the hearing this past Monday, there would be two grounds on which to argue TUPOC should be evicted: their failure to pay rent, as well as the end of the 30-day waiting period after the termination of the group’s purchase and sale agreement.
Lawyer Saron Gebresellassi, representing the United People of Canada, argued earlier this week the group had a verbal agreement with McDonald and that he wanted to back out of the deal because of media reports about the goings on at the property.
McDonald denied there was a verbal agreement with TUPOC during cross-examination. The judge sided with McDonald's version of events.
The church, located 1.3 kilometres from Parliament Hill, had been on the market since July 2021 and had a $5.95 million price tag.
- with files from Jeremie Charron, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 122 active wildfires burning across Canada, 32 considered 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
BREAKING B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, alleges he faced threats, harassment from gov't MLAs
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
A Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her. His lawyers argue it wasn't murder
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death southwest of Montreal
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
The latest advice for expecting parents? Sign up for childcare as soon as you're pregnant
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.