Ontario court denies application by Tamara Lich for international travel but affirms compliance and free expression rights, allows for possible future requests.
Ottawa: On September 17, the Ontario Court of Justice released its decision on Tamara Lich's application to vary the territorial conditions of her Conditional Sentence Order. The Court denied the request to authorize international travel for media employment purposes, while making several findings relevant to Ms. Lich's compliance and rights under the Order.
Writing for the Court, Justice Perkins-McVey noted that no allegation suggests Ms. Lich has breached her Conditional Sentence Order. The Court found that she has completed her required community service, maintained communication with her supervisor, provided itineraries as required, and completed thirteen interprovincial trips without incident. It confirmed that the sentence imposes no restriction on lawful expression, including social media use, journalism, publication, or political opinion.
While the application for international travel was dismissed, the Court left open the possibility of future requests where exceptional, specific, and time-limited circumstances can be demonstrated. The decision also preserves the Conditional Sentence Supervisor's existing discretion to consider interprovincial travel requests for employment on a case-by-case basis.
Lawrence Greenspon is representing Ms. Lich in the proceedings; her appeal of her conviction for mischief is expected to be heard by the Court of Appeal in the spring of 2027.
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Founded in 2021, The Democracy Fund (TDF) is a Canadian charity dedicated to defending constitutional rights, promoting free speech and religious freedom, and opposing religious discrimination. TDF advances these principles through litigation, public education, educational initiatives, and access-to-justice programs for Canadians whose civil liberties have been infringed.