SIKSIKA, AB: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announces that lawyers funded by the Justice Centre will appear before the Alberta Court of Justice in Siksika on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, for the first of two scheduled trial dates on behalf of journalist and public commentator Cory Morgan.
The dispute arose from Mr. Morgan’s reporting on conditions at Siksika Nation in a video filmed in March 2025. His narrated video drew attention to poor housing conditions and limited access to clean water, as well as crime and poverty. The film footage was taken from public roads and publicly accessible locations, including Old Sun College, historical landmarks and a cemetery.
Mr. Morgan received no verbal or written warning that he was prohibited from entering any of the locations shown in his video. Nor were there signs indicating that the areas were restricted or closed to the public.
After Mr. Morgan published the video, it attracted tens of thousands of views and generated both praise and criticism. Siksika Nation denounced Mr. Morgan on its website for spreading “misinformation” and “fostering division and harm.” On April 9, 2025, Siksika Nation Protective Services issued him two trespass tickets of $1,000 each under the Nation’s trespass bylaw, passed under the federal Indian Act.
Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre argue that the bylaw provision allowing a person to be charged and convicted of trespassing without first receiving notice violates the right to liberty protected by section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is contrary to the principles of fundamental justice.
Constitutional lawyer Chris Fleury said, “This case raises important questions about whether trespass by-laws can constitutionally create an absolute liability offence carrying the possibility of imprisonment in what appear to be public areas where no notice of any kind is given to the alleged trespasser.”
At the first trial date on August 25, the Court is expected to hear legal arguments on the elements of the trespass offence, including whether it imposes strict or absolute liability. The September 29 trial date is expected to include evidence from Officer Daniels, Siksika’s only prosecution witness, and possibly Mr. Morgan.
The Justice Centre is Canada’s leading civil liberties organization defending Charter rights and freedoms in the courts of law and in the court of public opinion. Founded in 2010, the Justice Centre funds lawyers across Canada, relies entirely on voluntary donations to carry out its mission, and issues official tax receipts to donors.
