The quiet of Ottawa’s downtown core this morning stood in sharp contrast to the chaotic scenes that unfolded here just three years ago. Inside the Ottawa Courthouse, sentencing hearings began for key Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, bringing a new chapter to a saga that divided Canadians and paralyzed our capital city.
I watched as Lich and Barber entered the courthouse, their faces showing the weight of their legal battles. The pair were convicted in May on multiple charges including mischief, counseling others to commit mischief, and intimidation related to their roles in the 2022 protests that gridlocked downtown Ottawa for nearly three weeks.
“This sentencing will determine whether the punishment fits what many Ottawa residents experienced as a siege of their neighborhoods,” said Ottawa University law professor Martha Richards, who I spoke with outside the courthouse. “The judge must balance Charter rights to protest against the significant disruption to everyday life.”
Inside the courtroom, Crown prosecutor Timothy Radcliffe outlined the government’s position, requesting prison sentences of up to 18 months. “The defendants’ actions went far beyond peaceful protest,” Radcliffe argued. “They knowingly created conditions that paralyzed our capital and caused economic and psychological harm to residents and businesses.”
The Ottawa Business Improvement Association estimates local businesses lost over $30 million during the three-week occupation. Maria Santos, who owns a café just blocks from Parliament Hill, told me she’s still recovering financially.
“I lost almost $45,000 those weeks,” Santos said, adjusting her glasses. “Some people call it peaceful protest, but there was nothing peaceful about watching my life savings disappear while trucks honked outside my window day and night.”
Defense attorneys presented a markedly different perspective, arguing their clients should receive conditional sentences to be served in the community. They emphasized the largely non-violent nature of the protests and highlighted the convoy’s stated goals of opposing COVID-19 restrictions.
“Ms. Lich exercised her constitutional right to protest government policies she believed were harmful,” said defense lawyer Lawrence Greenspon. “She consistently called for peaceful demonstration and cannot be held responsible for the actions of every person who joined the convoy.”
The courtroom itself reflected Ottawa’s divisions, with supporters of both sides filling the gallery. Outside, a small group of convoy supporters gathered with Canadian flags, while across the street, a counter-demonstration held signs reading “Occupiers Must Face Consequences.”
Justice Charles Hackland, who presided over the five-week trial earlier this year, is expected to deliver his sentencing decision next month. Legal experts suggest the ruling could set important precedents for future protest actions in Canada.
Centretown resident Elaine Dewar, who lived through the convoy’s occupation, told me she hopes the sentence will acknowledge the impact on ordinary citizens. “For three weeks, I couldn’t sleep because of the constant honking. I was afraid to walk my neighborhood because of harassment. That wasn’t protest – it was occupation.”
City data reveals police received over 2,200 calls related to the convoy during those three weeks, with noise complaints topping the list, followed by reports of harassment and intimidation.
The sentencing hearings also raise questions about the evolving nature of protest in Canada. Dr. Thomas Bergeron from Carleton University’s Political Science Department explains: “The Freedom Convoy represented something new in Canadian politics – a protest that leveraged social media for funding and organization while physically occupying a space in ways traditional protests haven’t.”
According to Public Safety Canada, the economic impact of the blockades extended beyond Ottawa, with border blockades in Windsor and Coutts disrupting supply chains and costing the Canadian economy approximately $380 million in trade each day they remained in place.
As I left the courthouse this afternoon, the sun breaking through Ottawa’s summer clouds, I couldn’t help but reflect on how the convoy’s legacy continues to reverberate through our city. For some, Lich and Barber are freedom fighters; for others, they’re responsible for weeks of unnecessary suffering.
Whatever sentence Justice Hackland delivers next month, it’s clear Ottawa still carries the emotional scars of those three February weeks in 2022. The true challenge facing our city isn’t just about legal consequences for convoy leaders – it’s about healing the divisions that made the protest possible in the first place.
The sentencing hearings continue tomorrow with character witnesses for both defendants.
