The provincial government has asked the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to lift a controversial injunction on illegal gatherings that was put in place more than a month ago.
The injunction was originally issued on May 14 to stop two anti-mask rallies that were planned for the weekend amid surging COVID-19 numbers and tightened regulations.
However, it has been criticized for being overly broad, with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association characterizing it as an “unjustifiable” ban on freedom of assembly and expression.
It was also used to ticket demonstrators who attended a pro-Palestinian car rally that weekend in support of the Free Palestine movement, to the dismay of the rally’s organizers.
In a release Friday, the province said it has made a motion this week to withdraw the injunction in light of lower COVID-19 numbers and loosened restrictions.
The release said other restrictions under public health orders, including social distancing, masking and gathering limits, still remain in place.
“The motion to lift the order doesn’t mean we should let down our guard. We are still in a state of emergency and we must continue to respect the public health measures,” Premier Iain Rankin said in the release.
“Thanks to the hard work of Nova Scotians, we are now in a much better place with the virus. Our daily case numbers are coming down, vaccination rates continue to rise and the number of Nova Scotians in hospital and the ICU are decreasing.”
A hearing date for the motion has been set for Tuesday.