The photojournalist fined by Quebec police while waiting on the sidewalk for a photo of the Château Frontenac will ultimately not have to face justice.
This is because the $230 ticket that had been given to him was canceled, according to what John Morris learned on Wednesday, a little more than two weeks after the events.
Reached by telephone, the photojournalist based in Prince Edward Island says that the news was transmitted to him via a succinct email from the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) on Wednesday.
He claims to have tried to contact the organization the day before in order to obtain the evidence it intended to present against him at his trial. “In my head, it was not a question of if, but a question of when” the accusation against him would be dropped, he explained when reached by telephone Thursday.
The photojournalist based in Prince Edward Island was in the National Capital on October 31 to take photos of old Quebec to adorn calendars or puzzles, one of his activities on the sidelines of its collaborations with Reuters, the Globe and Mail or the QMI Agency.
He was waiting in front of the United States Consulate for the arrival of clouds in order to enhance a photo of the famous Château Frontenac when a security agent approached him, according to his version.
Officers from the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) who arrived subsequently handcuffed him, searched him, placed him in the back of a patrol vehicle before giving him his ticket. John Morris said from the start that he was going to contest this fine.
The affair was criticized by the Canadian Association of Journalists.
Given the conclusion of this saga, John Morris explains that he would like to receive an official apology from the SPVQ since he believes he was the victim of an “error”.
“Normally, when you make a mistake, you apologize. Canadians are known for apologizing all the time,” he says.