SHERBROOKE, PQ: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announces that lawyers are bringing a constitutional challenge on behalf of Brian Jenkins after he was fined by local police for peacefully expressing his views at a public rally in Sherbrooke.
Mr. Jenkins, who works as an outreach director for a non-profit organization, was participating in a pro-life rally on November 1, 2025, on Belvédère Street, where he wore a placard in front of and behind him displaying his convictions. A police officer issued a fine under a municipal by-law that prohibits the use of “sandwich boards” in public places.
However, the Sherbrooke by-law explicitly applies only to commercial advertising and solicitation. Mr. Jenkins was not advertising, selling, or promoting any commercial activity.
Mr. Jenkins said, “I was confused when I was told that I was in violation of a municipal ordinance, especially since I had not been approached in the previous four years while doing the same activity.”
Constitutional lawyer Olivier Seguin said, “This is a case where law enforcement agencies, in addition to applying their regulations in a clearly illegal manner, attempted to use them to suppress speech they did not like.”
“In a modern society where almost all areas of life are regulated, it is essential that regulations are applied for legitimate, relevant purposes, and not for the purpose of persecution,” he added.
This case raises broader concerns about the misuse of municipal regulations to suppress peaceful expression on matters of public debate, even where the governing law clearly limits enforcement to commercial activity.
A hearing date on this matter has not yet been scheduled.
