A Sussex-area businessman who was one of the biggest financial donors to the Freedom Convoy is asking an Ontario court to throw out an attempt to sue him for damages.
Brad Howland, who donated $75,000 to the convoy that paralyzed downtown Ottawa last winter, is named in a motion to designate him as the representative of all those who donated money to support the protest.
It’s part of a larger class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of downtown Ottawa residents, businesses and employees who say the convoy disrupted their lives.
The lawsuit wants the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to add Howland on behalf of a “donor class” of defendants.
Those who donated money online did so “with the intent to encourage and facilitate such acts,” attorney Paul Champ argues in his motion. The motion will be heard in Ottawa court on January 24-25. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
The motion says Howland and other donors “knew or should have known” that the Freedom Convoy protesters were breaking the law and disrupting the lives of downtown residents and workers by blowing their truck horns and spewing diesel fuel.
Those who donated money online did so “with the intent to encourage and facilitate such acts,” attorney Paul Champ argues in his motion.
The motion will be heard in Ottawa court on January 24-25.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and James Manson, an attorney for Howland and other potential defendants, argues that the lawsuit and the attempt to add Howland are not supported by any evidence about specific defendants.
“Plaintiffs have, in effect, wrongfully sued a crowd of people without identifying who was in the crowd, or which people did which things,” their motion says.
Manson argues that it’s unreasonable to try to sue “thousands of random people around the world who just gave money to a political cause.”
Each individual donor’s personal reasons for donating to the Freedom Convoy should be examined, he said.
“That would be impossible.”
The convoy began parking trucks in downtown Ottawa on January 28, and the protest continued until police broke it up on February 19-20.
Most participants wanted the federal government to end vaccine mandates for truckers, although some also called for the Trudeau government to be removed from power.
Brad Howland, who lives in Kars, owns Easy Kleen Pressure Systems Ltd., based in Sussex Corner. The businessman was identified as the convoy’s second-largest donor in leaked data from online fundraising site GiveSendGo. (Roger Cosman/CBC)
Howland, who lives in Kars and owns Easy Kleen Pressure Systems Ltd. based in Sussex Corner, was identified as the convoy’s second-biggest donor in leaked data from online fundraising site GiveSendGo.
He traveled to Ottawa to “participate” in the convoy on Feb. 11-12, according to the plaintiffs’ motion.
Howland confirmed in a statement to CBC News last year that he had attended the protest, calling it “a beautiful, legal, peaceful protest that overwhelmed us with emotion.”
The business owner said his company depended on truckers and it was important to support them.
“Our company and my family are proud to stand with these men and women as they defend our great nation’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” he said.
Howland’s assistant said in an email Thursday that he was not available to comment on the court documents.
Champ argues in his motion that financial donations like the convoy participants “emboldened and incited” Howland, as they made “as much noise as possible to cause discomfort and distress” to local residents “in order to coerce political leaders.” .
But Manson calls the claim “ludicrous and unprovable.”
“There is simply no way that the plaintiffs will ever prove that all the people who donated funds to the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest knew or should have known” that those funds” would be used to fund actions il· legal, he argues. .
Champ is seeking a total of $290 million in general, special and punitive damages from all defendants, which include several high-profile leaders of the movement.
Champ says in his motion that Howland’s company, Easy Kleen, has a 7,400-square-foot manufacturing plant and 165 employees. It operates seven offices across Canada and ships equipment worldwide.