Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Feb, 2022 01:15 PM
An Ontario court has extended to March 9 a freezing order on funds donated to the recent Ottawa convoy protest, as a class-action civil suit against protest organizers continues.
Parties in the case have agreed to move some donated funds and cryptocurrency into escrow, which could be redistributed to affected Ottawa residents and business owners should the class action succeed.
Norman Groot, a lawyer representing some convoy protest leaders, says ChristopherGarrah, Benjamin Dichter and Nicholas St. Louis have agreed in principle to moving donated funds within their control to an escrow account.
Groot notes the funds that Garrah, Dichter and St. Louis have agreed to move to escrow might not account for all the cryptocurrency that was donated, and he proposed parties meet next week to take stock of what has been transferred.
An escrow agent will oversee the transferred funds, and will be permitted to change the passwords for cryptocurrency.
The class-action lawsuit seeks a total of $306 million in damages related to the three-week anti-government convoy protest near Parliament Hill that snarled traffic, shut businesses and plagued residents with near-constant honking.
Grace Lore, parliamentary secretary for gender equity, says the change will reduce a barrier that two-spirit, transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse people face when trying to change their identification documents.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Friday the wave has spread faster than previous ones and their research shows the top of the latest surge was likely reached last weekend.
The provincial government says B.C.-owned hotels or motels that employ more than 150 people, Indigenous-owned resorts on reserves with over 100 employees and tourism operators who hold tenure or BC Parks permits can all apply for grants.
Vancouver Police launched an investigation in 2019, after one person came forward and reported being sexually assaulted during laser hair removal appointments at Dermabella Clinic, located near Howe and Smithe streets. During the investigation, detectives identified a second victim who had allegedly been photographed while naked and receiving treatment at the clinic.
The scam was first reported to VPD on January 12, when a west-side couple in their 70s received a call from a man who claimed their nephew had been in a car accident and needed $8,000 to get out of jail. The fraudster then came to the victims’ home and picked up the money.
The Department of National Defence says formal proceedings have been launched against more than 900 members of the Canadian Armed Forces for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
