Justice camp protesters appeal decision which ordered them off province's lawn

Members of the Justice for Our Stolen Children camp have appealed a court decision which ordered them out of Wascana Centre in Regina.

A Court of Queen's Bench Justice issued the ruling Sept. 7, ordering the protesters to leave the park and remove the structures which had been erected on the lawn of the Legislative building. 

The appeal seeks to have the entirety of the ruling quashed. It also calls for a declaration that police and government infringed on the rights of the protesters when arrests were made back in June. No charges were laid against the protesters.

The appeal argues that Justice Ysanne Wilkinson overstepped her jurisdiction when she relied on precedents which did not apply.

It says that she relied on the Trespass Act when she addressed the arrests of the protesters when the police made the arrests on the grounds of obstruction of police duties, a criminal code offence.

The appeal also requests a declaration that certain Wascana Centre bylaws are inconsistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and freedom of expression. 

The bylaws in question — 3, 8 and 27 — state that no fires can be built, no tents or structures can be put up without authorization and no camp can be established and maintained. 

The camp was established in February after the acquittals of Gerald Stanley and Raymond Cormier who were charged in with murder in the deaths of Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine, respectively.