The Democracy Fund lawyers attended court this week to seek to reopen Amish tickets.
TORONTO: The Democracy Fund (TDF) lawyers were in Welland Provincial Court this week to file reopening applications and supporting affidavits on behalf of five Amish clients in an effort to set aside the convictions.
Members of the Amish community had previously been ticketed and fined for suspected ArriveCan-related offences. A number of TDF Amish clients now have liens registered against their farms in the amount of tens of thousands of dollars. Should the government force the sales of these properties, these Amish families could lose their homes and livelihoods. TDF is determined to prevent this.
With the filing of these court documents, TDF hopes that lawyers can convince the court to reopen the convictions and, eventually, have the tickets stayed or withdrawn.
Commenting on the matter, TDF senior litigation counsel, Adam Blake-Gallipeau said: "The Amish are a peaceful religious minority community. They avoid conflict and confrontation. They rarely if ever interact with the Canadian legal or bureaucratic system. Accordingly, we believe it is unfair and unreasonable that they should be threatened with the loss of their homes over disputes relating to minor regulatory infractions."
TDF has been retained by approximately 20 additional Amish clients and believes that many other Amish communities could be affected.
If you'd like to support the Amish community in their fight, please consider making a tax-deductible donation on this page.
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About The Democracy Fund:
Founded in 2021, The Democracy Fund (TDF) is a Canadian charity dedicated to constitutional rights, advancing education, and relieving poverty. TDF promotes constitutional rights through litigation and public education and supports an access to justice initiative for Canadians whose civil liberties have been infringed by government lockdowns and other public policy responses to the pandemic.