Tim Coderre says that while there could be legitimacy to some of King’s charges, the bail conditions imposed on him in the court’s decision to release King on bail Monday were excessive. King’s bail conditions include a ban on using social media and refraining from engaging in escort-related activities. He is also prohibited from contacting other convoy organizers, including Chris Barber, Benjamin Dichter, Tamara Lich and Tom Marazzo, unless in the presence of counsel. King is also expected to observe a 10pm to 6am curfew “It seems like a lot of restrictions have been placed on him, and I don’t know, what it’s worth in general, what that means to the general public, because this guy was basically standing up for his right to free speech, our liberties, our liberties, our laws on mobility,” Coderre said when reached by phone Monday. “According to the Bill of Rights, we have a right to assemble, we have a right to free speech, and we have a right to an opinion.” Coderre adds that he views both King and Lich as “basically political prisoners” and that the provisions of the Bill of Rights – the right to assembly, the right to free speech, the right to opinion, the right to religion – ” appears to be under attack.” “I just think it’s kind of out of line that the government has come down so hard on these people, and I just feel like it’s way above any level possible,” Coderre said. Although Coderre had contact with King in the past as a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Freedom Alliance, says “95 percent” are unaware of the criticism leveled at the rally’s organizer, which includes former Sault Ste. Marie resident is a purveyor of racist conspiracy theories who has described COVID-19 as a “man-made bioweapon designed to make people sick” and warned of an “endgame” to “devastate the Anglo-Saxon race”. “I support freedom, the Bill of Rights, the Charter and the Constitution. I am in no way condoning criminality or unproven public ratings,” Coderre said. The member for Sault Ste. Marie Freedom Alliance is currently facing its own legal battle after both he and Steven Hunter were charged under the Re-opening Ontario Act for their participation in a rally that saw locals hailing the “Freedom Convoy” in formerly Sister Mary Clare Catholic School — known as the Soo Justice Center — in the Sault on Jan. 27 as the convoy arrived in Ottawa. The pair were charged with failing to comply with a continuing order not to hold or hold a public event in an enclosed area, which carries a minimum fine of $10,000 and a maximum fine of $100,000 if convicted. “We used the APH guidelines, their own mathematical equation, to determine the square footage and how many people were allowed to go there with the restrictions that were in place,” Coderre argued. Coderre says about 1,000 came through the doors of the former East School that night, but there were only about 300 people in the building at any given time. “I did my duty as a citizen. I believe I love my brother, even my enemies,” he said. “There was a case where these guys, they did everything in our lives to provide for my needs. So, I thought, you know what, I’ll do my best to supply their needs.” He met briefly with King that night. “Over and above that, I didn’t really have any engagement with him per se – we had a few conversations on the phone, a few email exchanges, but nothing really in depth other than what we did in terms of escorting and what not,” she said. Coderre. Coderre believes the charges are unwarranted, adding that disclosure from the court will not be provided for review before August 10, after the court pushed the matter to a later date during the June 29 court session. “We’ve had no disclosure,” he said, adding that the court is “deliberately trying to drag things out” so the court system can make money. “I have to take a day off work, but they get paid.” Although Coderre says he has not been engaged to the former Sister Mary Clare property since April, he believes what will happen this fall has “set off red flags” and “there is a convergence between the various groups here locally level to regroup and re-establish” at the Soo Justice Center in the near future. He says there are rumors that the NDP may not fully support what’s going on with the Trudeau government and could put a motion of no confidence in play that could trigger an election. “We expect there will be another lockdown,” Coderre said. “We predict that there will be another scary thing that the government will develop and they will do everything in their power to try to get their hands on the middle class and make it as difficult as possible.”
