According to a statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court last week, the NCC — the custodian of official housing in Ottawa — is seeking $350,000 to repair the gate and repair the surrounding property, plus $100,000 in punitive and exemplary damages. News of the lawsuit was first reported by Frank magazine. Hurren is serving a six-year sentence plus time served for driving his truck into the front gates of Rideau Hall on July 2, 2020, and crossing the grounds on foot with loaded firearms. The former Canadian Armed Forces reservist — angered by the federal government’s COVID-19 restrictions and its ban on assault-style firearms — told police he wanted to arrest Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was not home that day . In its claim, NCC – which has hired law firm Conway Baxter Wilson LLP – said the damage to the Rideau Hall property was caused by Hurren’s negligence. “It created a situation of danger and emergency,” the statement of claim says. “As a result of the collision, the property sustained extensive damage and required significant repairs.” An NCC spokesman would not comment further on the allegation, citing the ongoing legal case.
The sentencing judge called it an ‘armed assault’
Hurren pleaded guilty last year to seven gun-related charges, including possessing weapons for “a purpose dangerous to the public peace.” The Manitoba resident also pleaded guilty to one count of mischief causing damage to the gate at Rideau Hall. Images from Corey Hurren’s Facebook page. (GrindHouse Fine Foods/Facebook) The court heard how Hurren, who had lost his business during the pandemic and had not qualified for the emergency allowance, told the police who took him into custody that he felt “betrayed by his government”. In handing down the sentence, Judge Robert Wadden called the July 2 incident “an armed attack on the government that must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.” “Corey Haren committed a politically motivated armed attack intended to intimidate the elected government of Canada,” he said. Hurren is serving his sentence at Joyceville Institution in Kingston, Ont.
