Freedom Convoy protest organizer Tamara Lich granted bail after review

© Provided by National Post Arrested Thursday evening, Tamara Lich will remain in custody pending a judge's decision on a bail application on Tuesday.

Tamara Lich, one of the principal organizers of the “Freedom Convoy” protest that gridlocked downtown Ottawa for three weeks has been granted bail.

Lich will be released on a total of $25,000 in bond with conditions not to protest COVID mandates or use any form of social media, and she must return to her home in Alberta.

Lich was arrested Feb. 17 and charged with counselling mischief, the day before police moved in to disperse crowds in downtown Ottawa using powers invoked under the federal Emergencies Act.

She was initially denied bail on Feb. 22 after Ontario Court Justice Julie Bourgeois deemed her detention was “necessary for the protection and safety of the public.”

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Lich’s lawyer launched a bail review on the grounds that Bourgeois decision may have been tainted by the fact that she ran as a federal Liberal candidate in the 2011 election and expressed that her community had been impacted by the protest.

Lich’s husband was rejected at her initial bail review hearing as her surety — a person who comes to court and promises to supervise an accused person while they are out on bail. An unnamed relative was proposed as a new surety at today’s hearing.

The Crown prosecutor says Lich will have to give the surety access to her electronic devices, and she will not be allowed to enter Ontario except for court hearing or to meet with counsel.

With additional reporting from the Canadian Press