A judge ordered the eviction of a group connected to the Freedom Convoy from a church in Ottawa. Ontario Superior Court Justice Sally Gomery approved on Friday a request from the owners of St. Brigid's in Lowertown to evict the organization from the property.

The owner, Patrick McDonald, sought a court order to enforce the group's eviction, saying they failed to pay $100,000 as part of a conditional sale of the church, owed $10,000 in rent, and breached heritage rules. Gomery ruled in favor of the owner, writing: "TUPOC substantially breached the agreement by failing to pay deposits totaling $100,000 on August 10, 2022, despite two deadline extensions granted by the applicants."

The ruling also came earlier than expected as Gomery told the court on Monday she would not make a decision until after September 27. Gomery also ruled that TUPOC must pay $53,000 in costs to the property owners within 30 days.

St. Brigid's Church was sold conditionally to the "The United People of Canada" organization on June 15, with the group planning to convert the historic property into an "embassy." Documents obtained by CTV News show the sale has fallen through, and the property was back on the market as of August 12. Group members insisted that the eviction notice given to them was invalid and that the group would not leave the property.

Also, McDonald's lawyer told reporters on September 2 that by last Monday's hearing, there would be two reasons to defend TUPOC’s eviction: unpaid rent and the expiration of the 30-day waiting period after the group’s sale and purchase agreement was terminated.

Despite the eviction notice, The United People of Canada continues to host events at the church, with a post on Facebook inviting people to attend the weekly "community BBQ" on Sunday.

The church, located 1.3 kilometers from the Parliament building, has been on the market since July 2021 with a price of $5.95 million.