A former Niagara-area town councillor is facing multiple criminal charges in connection with his alleged involvement with the convoy protests in Ottawa last year, police say.
Harold Jonker turned himself in at a police station in Grimsby on April 29 and was charged with two counts of counselling an uncommitted indictable offence and one count each of mischief/obstruct property and intimidation by blocking or obstructing a highway, a spokesperson for Niagara Regional Police says.
He was subsequently released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court in Ottawa on May 10.
Niagara Regional Police say that the Ottawa Police Service requested their assistance with the matter.
“All charges stem from an incident that occurred in the jurisdictional boundaries of the Ottawa Police Service,” Const. Philip Gavin told CP24.
Jonker had served as a town councillor in West Lincoln prior to his defeat in October’s municipal election.
Last summer, the integrity commissioner for West Lincoln found that Jonker violated the town’s code of conduct by allegedly continuing to participate in the protest after it was declared “unlawful” and docked him 30 days pay as a result.
The integrity commissioner also said that Jonker, who attended the protests with family and members of his trucking company, failed to respond to requests looking into the extent of his participation.
Jonker also faced criticism from some members of West Lincoln council for attending the Ottawa protests at the time.
In February, 2022, Ward 3 councillor William Reilly accused Jonker of missing four meetings and said that he should resign his seat if he “is going to continue to neglect his municipal responsibilities.”
Jonker, however, appeared to have the support of then mayor Dave Bylsma. He posted a picture to Facebook in February, 2022 in which he was seen posing with Jonker and several others in front of Parliament Hill, calling them "international freedom celebs."
The charges against Jonker have not been tested in court.
