Overview
- On Thursday, September 17, 2026, Ontario Justice Heather Perkins-McVey denied Tamara Lich’s application to travel abroad for work with Rebel News while she serves a conditional sentence.
- The judge said Lich did not show that international travel was necessary for her employment and described a Rebel-sponsored Caribbean cruise as a commercial fundraiser and an Arizona trip as promotional.
- Lich was convicted of mischief for her role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy and received a conditional sentence on October 7, 2025, that includes 12 months of house arrest and 100 hours of community service.
- Crown prosecutors warned expanded overseas travel could let Lich profit from the convoy under the guise of journalism, while her lawyer and Rebel News witnesses said she has complied with conditions and needs work travel.
- The ruling preserves limited interprovincial travel on a case-by-case basis, leaves a narrow door open for truly exceptional future international applications, and comes as appeals of the convictions and sentences move toward the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2027.