Ottawa

Tamara Lich gets step closer to review of her bail conditions

Convoy organizer Tamara Lich's attempt to appeal her bail conditions won a procedural victory on Wednesday. 

Her lawyer is expected to argue for Lich to have more social media access

Tamara Lich, who organized fundraising for the Ottawa protest which became a weeks long blockade, embraces supporters as she leaves the courthouse in Ottawa after being granted bail March 7, 2022. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Convoy organizer Tamara Lich's attempt to appeal her bail conditions won a procedural victory on Wednesday. 

Lich's lawyer Lawrence Greenspon said on April 20 that the judge committed several errors when he imposed certain conditions on her bail.

Greenspon wants to make that argument in Ontario's Superior Court of Justice, but the Crown argued the law does not allow a Superior Court judge to review the decision of another Superior Court judge. 

After hearing the arguments, Justice Julianne Parfett sided with Greenspon in a decision handed down Wednesday.

She said in her decision the law requires no accused be denied reasonable bail without just cause and "to substantially restrict access to review would be contrary to that right."

"An important purpose of the bail provisions is to be responsive to the fluid situation that is common to charges as they make their way through the justice system."

Greenspon will now likely make the argument that there were errors in law made when Lich was given her bail conditions. It is expected he will argue to allow Lich more access to social media while on bail. 

Lich, 49, helped raise millions of dollars in support of the Freedom Convoy before being arrested Feb. 17 and charged with counselling to commit mischief shortly before police's major push to clear out the remaining protesters who occupied downtown Ottawa streets.