OTTAWA, ON: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announces that the Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa will hear an appeal of Master Warrant Officer (Ret’d) Jeffrey Evely’s conviction for mischief and obstruction on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. ET.
The veteran and devoted family man, who has spent much of his life serving his country, travelled to Ottawa in February 2022 to peacefully protest against Covid lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
As part of his participation, Evely stood guard at the National War Memorial after some had suggested it was being vandalized.
However, on February 19, 2022, while on his way to the monument for his regular volunteer shift, Ottawa police arrested him after he attempted to enter what had been designated a restricted area around Parliament Hill.
Mr. Evely was later convicted of mischief and obstruction charges in September 2024.
His appeal will consider whether the police have the power to lock down entire neighbourhoods in a major city under common law and to perform blanket arrests on those who seek to enter a restricted area.
Mr. Evely’s lawyer is seeking an acquittal on all charges.
“The actions of the Ottawa police in locking down downtown Ottawa and preventing all civilians from accessing public areas greatly exceeded their powers,” stated constitutional lawyer Chris Fleury.
“Mr. Evely’s arrest for simply being inside of the locked-down area was arbitrary and unjustified,” he added.
