Adam Skelly continued serving customers at Adamson Barbecue in Etobicoke despite orders by the government to cease operations, including a prohibition that was placed on indoor dining for a minimum of 28 days.
On the morning of Thanksgiving, the police changed the locks of his restaurant and surrounded it, and they even went so far as to bring out a dozen horses to stop Skelly and his customers from entering the premises.
Eventually, a crowd of protesters showed up to support him. Skelly was then put in handcuffs and taken into custody for attempting to obstruct police. Video footage from the scene shows him being brought away to chants of “Shame!” by the crowd.
The restaurant owner was eventually hit with 13 charges, including intent to obstruct police, trespassing, violating indoor dining rules, operating a business without a license, and holding an illegal gathering.
The fines for operating without a business license can be as much as $25,000 for individuals. He was released on $50,000 bail after being detained for more than 30 hours and is due back in court on January 4.
One of the conditions of his release on the criminal charges was that he must stay off of social media. He must also stay away from his own restaurant.
Last Friday afternoon, a judge in a Toronto Superior Court granted an injunction ordering Skelly and the workers at his restaurant to comply with the Reopening Ontario Act, saying they could face contempt of court charges for failing to do so.
His lawyer for civil charges, Geoff Pollock, said they will likely challenge the ruling and called the Reopening Ontario Act one of the most far-reaching statutes “we have seen in Ontario in our lifetime, in terms of its intrusiveness in personal lives and the economy, not to mention the restrictions upon liberty.”
He also said that Skelly was very open about trying to challenge the law, saying “we have a long and noble history in this country of civil disobedience, and this is how laws are challenged.”
Small businesses, churches unfairly targeted by restrictions
Restrictions on people’s movements are a growing point of contention in Canada, and it’s not just creating problems when it comes to eating. Many are concerned about the government using it as a way to restrict their right to worship.
In fact, the insanity has grown so high that one reporter took to stalking churchgoers in the midst of the pandemic. She parked her car outside of a church and recorded people who left a worship service.
Reporter Georgina Smyth posted a video to Twitter of Christians leaving the service as she counted them. She said she counted more than 60 people at the church, who probably had no idea that she was filming them and posting it on social media.
This drew a lot of anger from Canadians, many of whom are outraged that church gatherings have been banned in places like British Columbia while liquor stores are allowed to remain open. A pastor at one of the churches targeted by the story expressed frustration that people are allowed to go shopping in person despite being able to do so online, and he said going to church is no different.
Meanwhile, retailers have called on Ontario to allow non-essential stores to open. They argue that the current policy is simply pushing more shoppers to the big box and discount stores that have been allowed to stay open after being deemed essential. Packing more people into fewer, more crowded stores and nearby communities creates an even bigger health risk than allowing smaller stores to remain open.
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