Originally scheduled to be completed in 16 days, the trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber has been adjourned for two weeks after hearing from only four witnesses in its first three weeks, and with no new end in sight.
Trial of Lich, Barber takes hiatus after three weeks, judge 'unhappy' with Crown prosecutors | Western Standard | Jen Hodgson:
September 23, 2023 - "The trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber concluded its third week of hearings on Friday and will now take a two-week break. Justice Heather Perkins-McVey will recall court Wednesday, October 11, with September 29 set as the deadline to approve or not approve the evidence presented during the voir dire (trial within a trial) sections of the trial.
"Friday was Day 13 of what was originally scheduled to be a 16-day trial. Perkins-McVey scheduled an extra 10 court days on top of that, bringing the total to an anticipated 26 days. So far, the hearings have spun from one voir dire to the next, with Crown witnesses appearing in court unprepared....
"Kim Ayotte, general manager of emergency and protective services at the City of Ottawa, 'brought no notes to the witness stand,' The Democracy Fund tweeted from the courtroom Tuesday. “He states that he intends to rely only on his memory for events that occurred roughly 19 months ago.' Later, Ayotte said he had important notes that he had left in his office.
"Crown witness Captain Ettienne Martel of the Sûreté du Québec appeared on the stand on Monday. He also had no notes and spoke through interpreters, one of which was dismissed after defence lawyers continually had to correct their translation before the judge. Martel wanted to use notes he had brought, but didn’t write himself. Instead, they were prepared by a 'team of crowd control officers'.... Lawrence Greenspon, counsel for Tamara Lich, asked Martel if he prepared any notes himself. 'No,' Martel replied....
"Crown witness Serge Arpin, former chief of staff for Jim Watson, former Ottawa mayor, breached court rules and contacted Crown attorneys Thursday evening.
"Perkins-McVey has shown her impatience with the Crown on several occasions, from being 'very unhappy' with it the first week, and questioning the relevancy of evidence presented by the Crown ever since. She continuously had to pause the trial so the witness can step out of the courtroom and she can address yet another blunder by the Crown, such as neglecting to send the defence counsels 'over 1,000 emails' as part of its disclosure — which led to yet another voir dire."
No end in sight for Tamara Lich trial (ft. Trish Wood) | True North | September 23, 2023:
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