UPDATE: July 25th, 2019

Bill is continuing to wend his way through the Ontario court system. At his appearance to-day, the judge heard his request for financial legal aid to help cover the astronomical costs of this case.

The actual trial date has now been set for January 6th, 2020, with four to six weeks reserved for proceedings.

For those who wish to contribute directly to Bill's legal costs, he has set up a crowdfunding page: https://gogetfunding.com/help-bill-defend-election-freedom-and-the-right-to-say-there-are-only-two-genders-male-and-female/

UPDATE: February 25th, 2019

The Crown Attorney is opting for a "direct indictment" against Bill, which removes his right to a preliminary hearing and will limit his lawyer's ability to call witnesses and get disclosure.

It is very disturbing that the Doug Ford government would choose to aggressively pursue this politically-motivated case - a case that was originally set out under the former government of Kathleen Wynne. As a lesbian and a liberal, Kathleen Wynne had a very personal motive to push the LGBT agenda and use the courts as a weapon to quash a political adversary. Why Mr. Ford would continue this tact is a matter of speculation.

UPDATE: December 9th, 2018

Bill Whatcott's next "hate crimes" hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10th, 2019 in Toronto.

Meanwhile, Bill is facing a separate hearing before the BC Human Rights tribunal this week as he responds to a complaint from a transgender NDP politician, "Morgane" Oger. Oger, a biological male who presents himself as a woman, was upset by Bill when he handed out pamphlets exposing Oger's real identity during the last election. You can find out more about that complaint here: http://www.freenorthamerica.ca/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=10735

It seems that Canada is fast becoming a country where freedom of expression is a luxury reserved for the politically-correct elite. When police or human rights tribunals begin to interfere in an ordinary citizen's life for nothing more than handing out pamphlets - pamphlets that express no hatred and call for no violence - then our democracy is on the precipice of ruin.

UPDATE: October 16th, 2018

Bill Whatcott travelled once again from his home in Alberta to appear in Ontario court, this time under threat of arrest. (The Crown insisted he appear in person). After being directed to switch courtrooms twice, Bill appeared before the judge, the bench warrant for his arrest was cancelled, and a new court date was set - all within five minutes. One wonders what the point of these short, repeat court appearances is. It is not only adding to the frustration Bill and his family are experiencing, but it is adding to their skyrocketing expenses.

Bill commented: "I'm unemployed, and I've got a $250,000 legal debt." This mounting debt includes expenses from his current "hate crimes" charge, from the appeal of a related civil case, as well as from a human rights complaint he is facing in British Columbia. 

Whether Bill wins or loses, it seems that the process is the punishment. This does not bode well for our cherished freedoms of expression and religion in Canada! The mainstream media's silence is also not helping to bring much needed public scrutiny and discourse to bear on this trial. We must remember that this is a landmark trial, where a Christian is being charged with "hate crimes" for merely voicing a traditional Christian perspective on LGBT issues. LifeSite News has been the only media source providing ongoing, in-depth coverage, for which we are grateful. (See LifeSite's latest report.)

Bill's next appearance is set for November 27th at 2:00 PM in courtroom 503 at the College Park courthouse in Toronto.  

UPDATE: September 20th, 2018

Events took a surprising turn as Bill Whatcott appeared in court today at the College Park Courthouse, Toronto. The Crown has refused to provide full disclosure, citing "Attorney General privilege". However, without disclosure, Bill's lawyer, Dr. Charles Lugosi, will not be told the basis for the charges, which will make it very hard to mount a defence. (He will not be told why Bill was deemed to have committed a hate crime, so he will not know exactly what he is fighting against.)

Dr. Lugosi is now asserting there was an "abuse of process" when the charge was laid, which means he believes it was politically motivated and not based in fact. Despite this, the Crown is persisting in its prosecution of Bill. It is more imperative than ever that we call on the new Attorney General, Caroline Mulroney, to drop this absurd charge against Bill! 

Here is the Crown's statement to Dr. Lugosi: "The Crown’s position is that there was no abuse of process in laying the wilful promotion of hatred charge against Mr. Whatcott;  the Crown will oppose your abuse of process application.  Further, the Crown’s position remains that the materials put before the Attorney General in considering whether or not to consent to laying this charge will not be disclosed, as they constitute confidential legal advice and are privileged."

It sounds like the Crown has something to hide. Is it perhaps that the charge against Bill was a fabrication, just to win LGBT votes for the liberals before the provincial election last June?

Here is a letter from Bill's lawyer, Dr. Lugosi, exposing the political corruption behind the charges against Bill: http://archive.citizengo.ca/Whatcott-abuse-process-1.pdf

Here is a video interview with Bill which was recorded after today's hearing: https://youtu.be/sVvxKIimVEo

A pretrial hearing date has now been set for October 16th in Toronto.

UPDATE: July 24th, 2018

Bill Whatcott appeared in court in Toronto today for his alleged "hate crime". His lawyers asked the Crown for full disclosure of the basis on which Bill was charged. They need to know why the charges were laid so they can plan their defence and fight back. The Crown conceded, and a new date was set for September 20th in Toronto.

About ten supporters and friends joined Bill in the courtroom, including pro-life heroine Linda Gibbons. Linda has spent over ten years in prison for her repeated witness in front of abortion clinics.

UPDATE: July 17th, 2018

I was chatting with Bill and Jadranka Whatcott on the phone this afternoon about Bill's upcoming trial set to begin next Monday, July 23rd in Toronto.

Jadranka said they were "just surviving" since "Bill is not employable now." The "hate crimes" charge not only lost him his bus driving job, but it is making it impossible for him to be hired anywhere else. At the moment, he is looking into starting up his own business.

Bill lamented the hypocrisy of the liberal left, which has charged him with "hate crimes" for peaceably handing out Gospel tracts at the 2016 "Gay Pride" parade, while anti-Christian gays were ignored at the same event. (See picture below, where one has a cross on his crotch.)

UPDATE: July 1st, 2018

We are happy to report that Mr. Whatcott was temporarily released on bail on June 25th. His hate crimes trial is scheduled for July 23rd in Toronto.

His experience in jail was harrowing, and he received very shoddy treatment. After being released, Mr. Whatcott was forced to make his own way back to Alberta, after being transported from Calgary to Toronto to process his charges. Then, when he got back to his home, he discovered that he was fired from his bus driving job - with no reason given.

You can read more about his experiences here: http://www.freenorthamerica.ca/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=10700.

UPDATE: June 23rd, 2018

Mrs. Jadranka Whatcott was able to provide an update this evening. She is very upset right now, and her two kids are missing their step-dad. She is not sure how they will be able to get by without him.

At the moment, Mr. Whatcott is still in a Calgary jail, awaiting extradition to Ontario, which is expected to occur Monday. Since he surrendered to police yesterday, he has only gotten to speak to his wife for a minute on the phone, when he was receiving some medical treatment. Apparently, he was told he has to pay $600 for his plane ticket to Ontario!

Mrs. Whatcott is disturbed that the mainstream media is calling her husband an anti-gay hater. She said, "Bill never spoke bad language...We want to help our society." As a Christian acting on his convictions, Mr. Whatcott was seeking to bring help and forgiveness to LGBT individuals.

Mrs. Whatcott feels this is a case of anti-Christian persecution. She said, "If you don't accept the destruction of the moral foundation of our society, this is the persecution you get... They want to show Bill as an example."

UPDATE: June 22nd, 2018

Mr. Bill Whatcott, a Christian activist from Alberta, has been charged by Toronto Police with “public incitement of hatred”. He surrendered peaceably June 22nd in Calgary after police had taken the unusual step of issuing a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest. 

The charges against Mr. Whatcott are based on a complaint filed in 2016 related to his presence at the 2016 Gay Pride parade in Toronto. At the parade, he and several friends handed out Gospel literature with warnings about the spiritual and physical dangers of practising homosexuality.

Mr. Whatcott’s courageous group was able to distribute over 3,000 pieces of literature by disguising themselves as “gay zombies” and marching in the parade. They risked their necks and endured the hideous sights of this celebration of debauchery in order to reach men and women with life-saving, soul-saving truth.

You can view the literature Mr. Whatcott handed out, as well as photos from the parade, at the following links. WARNING: This content is very disturbing and graphic! View Tract - View Photos from Event.

Two pro-LGBT individuals tried to sue Mr. Whatcott shortly after the parade, claiming $104 million in damages for defamation against the LGBT community. However, the judge threw out the lawsuit.

It is extremely alarming that the police have now chosen to intervene and label Mr. Whatcott’s actions as a “hate crime”. This appears to be a case of real anti-Christian persecution, trampling to death our freedom of religion and freedom of speech in Canada.

Mr. Whatcott did not commit a hate crime. He did not call on people to “hate” anyone. Rather, out of love, he issued a daring Gospel call on LGBT folks to turn from their sins, repent, and be saved.

At the bottom of his literature to LGBT individuals, he wrote: “we also want to let you know there is a God who loves you, and who is real, and who has made a way for you to come to Him.”

Pastor Art Pawlowski, founder of Street Church in Calgary and a friend of Mr. Whatcott’s, commented: “We’re turning Canada into a Nazi state, into a communist state, where if you voice your politically incorrect views, you will be attacked by the forces of the government.” Pastor Pawlowski organized a rally for Mr. Whatcott at Calgary police headquarters at the time of his arrest.

It is vital that we stand up against government tyranny in Canada. The saying goes “freedom isn’t free,” and it’s true! We need to stand up for the hard-won freedoms many thousands of Canadians were willing to fight and die for in times past. We need to stand up against the real hatred – hatred against Christians, Christian values, and the Christ who calls us all to repent and be saved.

Please sign our petition to the Toronto Chief of Police and the Attorneys General of Canada and Ontario.

FOR FURTHER READING

-LifeSite News: 

• https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/christian-activist-willing-to-go-to-jail-on-lgbt-hate-crime-charge-im-stand (Feb. 14 2019)
• https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/canadian-christian-activists-legal-battle-against-hate-crime-charges-contin (July 23 2018)
• https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/police-issue-canada-wide-arrest-warrant-for-christian-accused-of-lgbt-hate (June 20 2018)

-Mass Resistence: http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen3/18b/Bill-Whatcott-arrest-warrant/in-custody.html

-The Daily Wire: https://www.dailywire.com/news/32478/canada-man-faces-two-years-prison-criticizing-amanda-prestigiacomo

-The Federalist: https://thefederalist.com/2018/06/28/canadian-bus-driver-arrested-two-years-later-criticizing-homosexuality/

-Free North America: http://www.freenorthamerica.ca/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=10696

-NewsTarget: https://newstarget.com/2018-06-22-criticizing-homosexuality-is-now-a-crime-under-canadas-totalitarian-hate-laws.html

-Toronto Star: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/anti-gay-activist-wanted-for-promotion-of-hatred-will-surrender-in-calgary-lawyer-says/ar-AAySyp0