The controversial pastor of Aylmer’s Church of God has been convicted of a charge under the Reopening Ontario Act for his participation in a downtown London, Ont., rally earlier this year, in protest of COVID-19 pandemic measures.
In a statement on Thursday, officials with the City of London said Henry Hildebrant was fined $5,000 plus court costs for the count, laid in relation to the so-called World Wide Rally for Freedom, held in Victoria Park.
The Jan. 22 rally came a day before truckers would leave Vancouver as part of the “Freedom Convoy” protests, which would gridlock downtown Ottawa roughly a week later.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, Municipal Law Enforcement Officers were given additional duties to enforce Provincial legislation based on advice from public health experts,” Orest Katolyk, the city’s chief municipal law enforcement officer, said in a statement.
“Noncompliance at gatherings came with possible penalties. In the vast majority of public interactions, officers used discretion, provided education and issued warnings. In other situations, charges were issued.”
It’s not clear who else, if any, were charged under the Reopening Ontario act in relation to the rally, which included speeches and a march down Richmond Street.
Among those who spoke at the rally were Hildebrandt and Kristen Nagle, a former LHSC nurse who became a vocal opponent of COVID-19 measures and restrictions during the pandemic.
Nagle was found guilty in September of a charge under the Reopening Ontario Act in connection with a separate gathering at the Church of God on April 25, 2021. Nagle said she would appeal the conviction.
Similar charges laid against Hildebrandt, former MP Derek Sloan and former MPP Randy Hillier were dropped, according to their legal representation, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.