An Ontario court ruled the province violated a man’s Charter rights by blocking his billboard criticizing the government’s COVID response, striking down the policy as unjustified.
George Katerberg, a retired HVAC technician, rented a Highway 17 billboard near Thessalon, Ont., in 2024 accusing Justin Trudeau, Doug Ford, Theresa Tam and Anthony Fauci of lying about COVID-19 safety and transmission.
Justice Schreck stressed the case was not about the merits of George Katerberg’s views on COVID vaccines, but his constitutional right to express them.
The Court stated, “this case is about Mr. Katerberg’s freedom to express his views and not the correctness of those views,” adding that nothing in the decision should be read as endorsing or criticizing those views.
“The manner in which the Ministry dealt with the applicant’s request for permission to put up his sign, which included shifting justifications based on various policies, some of which were not identified, is not to be encouraged,” the decision reads.
