Money given to the convoy through crowdfunding platforms GoFundMe and GiveSendGo has been placed in court-ordered escrow pending a proposed class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Ottawa residents and businesses. Protest organizer Tamara Lich is among a group of 10 defendants named in the lawsuit who want some of the escrow funds released to pay for their participation in the Public Order Emergency Committee, which will hold hearings on the Liberal government’s plea in the Emergency Law. fall. Their application, filed in Ontario Superior Court on Friday, also shows more than $1.3 million in donations ended up in two bank accounts in Lich’s name, money that was also frozen. He is currently awaiting trial on criminal charges related to the escort. In their filing, the defendants say they need $450,400 for legal representation in the investigation, including an unnamed senior attorney at a rate of $350 an hour. Their proposed budget includes $83,000 in travel and accommodation costs to send these and other witnesses to Ottawa for 39 days of hearings. The defendants are represented in the civil action by Keith Wilson of the Alberta-based legal charity Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF). The defendants have a right to appear before the inquiry, but they did not receive funding. The defendants have “significant concerns about their ability to adequately represent and participate fully on the Commission without access to funding,” they argue in the petition. They say the JCCF can no longer fund their representation. “The Commission’s demands are far greater than anticipated,” they argue, saying they “will be significantly affected without access to legal representation funds.” The defendants argue they are at a disadvantage because lawyer Paul Champ, who represents the plaintiffs in the civil action, received funding to appear before the commission on behalf of a group called the Ottawa Coalition of Residents and Businesses, which includes community associations and business improvement associations. The lawsuit was first filed in February on behalf of downtown resident Zexi Li and later expanded to include other plaintiffs. It is seeking more than $300 million in damages on behalf of those who lived and worked in the city during the three-week occupation by protesters against the order in January and February. Earlier this year, Champ successfully obtained court orders to freeze more than $5 million in cash and crypto donated to the convoy, pending resolution of the case. Documents filed in court by the group show the escrow includes:
$1,393,399 received through GoFundMe and direct email transfers, held in two accounts in Lich’s name. $3,777,843 was donated through payment processor Stripe to Freedom 2022 Human Rights and Freedoms, a federal corporation founded by protest organizers. $141,482 in an RBC account associated with Chris Garrah. $10,000 held by Freedom 2022 at Steinbach Credit Union. and various forms of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The court previously agreed to release $100,000 of escrow funds so the defendants could pay for their legal defense in the civil suit.
Along with Lich, the team represented by Wilson includes: Daniel Bulford, Dale Enns, Chris Garrah, Miranda Gasior, Joe Jansen, Tom Marazzo, Ryan Mihilewicz, Sean Tiessen and the company Freedom 2022. A court date for the motion to release the money has not yet been scheduled. With files from CTV News producer Mackenzie Gray
