UPDATE 1:45 p.m. The right to protest in Canada “is not absolute”, said a senior member of the Kelowna RCMP, while announcing that the charges were approved in a couple of protests against the vaccine last year in Kelowna. In a press conference on Wednesday, Insp. Adam MacIntosh has confirmed that Linda Jackson, 56, has been charged with disturbing the order or formality of a meeting in connection with an event held at Kelowna’s cenotaph on Remembrance Day. Bruce Orydzuk, 60, was also charged with rioting after being caught on camera shouting racism at a South Asian security guard outside a Kelowna vaccine clinic on July 13. Both incidents sparked national outrage. “As we have all seen and discussed over the last many months, an individual or a group has a fundamental right to protest,” MacIntosh said. “The Kelowna RCMP upholds this right and will help maintain public safety within the law. However, this right is not absolute. “ “But when your actions and views go too far and a criminal investigation is required, we will investigate,” he continued. The criminal charges against Jackson in connection with the Memorial Day protest are extremely rare. Article 172 (2) of the Penal Code prohibits the disruption of religious gatherings or those for “moral, social or well-intentioned purposes”. MacIntosh said he personally has never seen the use of the charge until now. In fact, the federal government considered the complete repeal of this provision of the Penal Code in 2017, but was rejected by religious groups. Statistics Canada says only four criminal charges have been approved in BC under Article 176 dating back to 2016. At the rally, a group of protesters used an amplified sound system to launch anti-vaccine rhetoric into a crowd gathered at the memorial on Remembrance Day. MacIntosh said when he saw the video of the Memorial Day demonstration, “I believed that what I had seen was beyond the scope of a peaceful protest and I ordered an investigation.” Jackson will appear in court on May 19. When the Kelowna RCMP announced a criminal investigation into Bruce Orydzuk’s actions outside the Trinity Church vaccine clinic, they said they would investigate it as a hate crime. Orydzuk shouted at the security guard, who was trying to get Orydzuk to move on, that he was “disgusting” and that he had to “return to your country”. The Crown chose to accuse Orydzuk of inciting unrest — not hate crime — but MacIntosh said their investigation showed “there is no tolerance for hatred” in Kelowna. Orydzuk will appear in court on May 26. He also has an excellent charge of launching threats, directed at a Global Okanagan reporter, in an alleged incident on August 26, 2021. Madison Earhard UPDATE: 10:30 a.m. Charges have been filed in connection with an incident outside a vaccination clinic at Trinity Church on Springfield Street in Kelowna last summer. Court records show that Bruce Orydzuk, 60, was charged with rioting after he made racist remarks to a South Asian security guard who was trying to persuade protesters to enter the clinic. He was charged on April 7. Orydzuk has also been charged with threatening to cause death or bodily harm in connection with a separate incident. Linda Jackson was also charged with disorderly conduct or a formal meeting in connection with a vaccination protest at Kelowna Cenotaph in City Park on November 11 last year. He was charged on Tuesday. Police will provide more details this afternoon. Photo: Larry Lava A woman began talking about COVID-19 vaccine orders in a crowd gathered for Memorial Day at the Kelowna City Park Cenotaph on November 11, 2021. ORIGINAL: 10 a.m. Kelowna RCMP will provide updates on two COVID-19-related investigations on Wednesday. In a press release, the RCMP states that a press conference will be held Wednesday afternoon to “update the investigation into the disturbance that occurred outside a COVID-19 clinic on July 13, 2021”. That day, a widely viewed video showed anti-vaccine protester Bruce Orydzuk making racist remarks to a South Asian security guard. The security guard was trying to get the protesters, who allegedly blocked access to a vaccination clinic in Trinity Church, to move. Police will also be briefed on the investigation into the disturbance at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day. Between 75 and 100 protesters are said to have broken up a rally attended by many members of the public and veterans who paid tribute to those who gave their lives during world wars and other conflicts. Castanet will broadcast today’s press conference live at 13.00.
