An Ontario Crown attorney has withdrawn all criminal charges against William Laframboise, an alleged leader of the Windsor protests that blocked the Ambassador Bridge in February 2022.While the Crown attorney stated that there were triable issues, he also explained to the court that it was not in the public interest to prosecute Laframboise given the evidentiary challenges of the Crown’s case and other serious matters that were vying for trial time in a backlogged court system.The Democracy Fund (TDF) litigation director, Alan Honner, stood beside his client, LaFramboise, as the charges were withdrawn before Justice Campbell.“Mr. Laframboise has always maintained his innocence,” says Honner. “He insisted on his right to trial and we believe he would have been acquitted had the charges not been dropped.”Honner said there is a wide gap between triable issues and proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the Crown felt they had a strong case, they would likely have proceeded to trial, given the economic significance of the blockade.A six-day blockade at the Ambassador Bridge that links Windsor, ON to Detroit, MI took place in February of 2022. The bridge carries $323 million of goods each day, of which about 40% is automotive parts. Some of it was rerouted through the Blue Water bridge near Sarnia, ON.Unlike many protesters who were arrested in the midst of the protest, Laframboise was arrested approximately six months after the fact. His arrest was the result of an ongoing police investigation which sought to identify an organizer of the protests.Laframboise is the last of TDF’s clients who were facing trial for their alleged role in the Ambassador Bridge protests. TDF represented approximately one-third of all persons arrested during those protests. A sole conviction is currently under appeal.Nycole Dicredico and William Laframboise were charged with mischief in connection with leading the blockades. However, Dicredico's charges were dropped in November shortly before trial at the Ontario Court of Justice.Laframboise, who is in his early 40's, told CBC News in a previous interview he did not lead the protest. "They have nothing on us," he said. "All they're doing is ruining people's lives."Dicredico has been represented by Windsor lawyer Dan Scott."My position has always been that she was out of there even before the [court] order was issued," Scott said in an interview with CBC News in August.
